Of Thorns and Wilted Roses
by Similyn
Summary: When friends get together for a holiday, the last thing they expected was to have to fight for their very freedom and lives. Sequel to Ileeya's Thorn and Defiant Vengeance.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is a sequel to Ileeya's Thorn and Defiant Vengeance. Although I'd recommend reading those first, this story _should_ hold up on it's own as well.  
><em>

* * *

><p>The Lunar Festival. A celebration held by the druids from the town of Nighthaven in Moonglade. The festival occurs once a year to remember the victory over the first invasion of the Burning Legion- a vast army of demons and more. It was a war that brought about the first alliance of night elves, tauren, furbolgs, and earthen. It also brought out demigods and dragons, long thought to only be myth. However, it also was the first time that the leader of the black dragonflight, Neltharion, showed his corruption and betrayal of not only his own kind, but all those of Azeroth as well. He became known as Xaxas to the night elves, and Deathwing, The Destroyer to everyone else.<p>

About a year and a half ago, though most had thought him long dead, the huge dragon had burst through the crust of Azeroth, causing earthquakes, typhoons, floods, and utter destruction to many parts of the world. Shamans and druids worked hard to heal the land, as The Destroyer flew over the planet, burning the land at random with his molten breath.

It was only recently that the four remaining dragon aspects, the shaman from the Earthen Ring named Thrall, and a group of brave heroes confronted Deathwing using an ancient weapon. The menace had finally been defeated, literally ripped apart. As a result, the druids in Nighthaven were expecting many more guests to their usually quiet town for this years Lunar Festival.

Dormir Whitestar watched his daughter, Ileeya, tie up a bundle of herbs. Sitting and playing on the floor near her feet was Adorei, his granddaughter. Like most merchants and vendors in town, she and her boss had stocked up on supplies. Malvor, the shop owner, was tying up his own bundle. They finished their work and put it all away.

"Very good, Ileeya. I think we're more than ready for the festival to start tomorrow. Take the next few days off. I already have some students scheduled to work." Malvor began to sweep, his usual custom before closing shop.

"Thank you." Ileeya wiped her hands on her dress and turned to pick up Adorei. She saw her father standing at the doorway and gave him a smile as she exited the shop. "How did your meeting go?"

Dormir fell into step beside his daughter as they headed towards their house. "As I figured, Rabine asked me to help patrol the town. He wants to step up security for the festival. The last thing he wants is for the Horde and Alliance to start fighting here. And I have to admit, I agree."

"Me too." She frowned as a thought occurred to her. "I wonder what Kirlothenin would do if that happened?" Kirlothenin Dawnwhisper was a blood elf who lived with them. He was also Adorei's father. Through a series of events over nearly a year, he and Ileeya found themselves together. He was in love with her. She...cared about him. That's all she could feel for him for now though she knew he hoped for more.

"Dormir?" Her father turned to see a warden beckoning him over. Ileeya paused as her father went to talk to the warden. She figured it was probably about his duties for tomorrow. She knew he wanted her to wait for him, but Adorei was beginning to fuss and she wanted to get her home. It wasn't too far to their house and she decided to keep going, figuring he would quickly catch up. Ileeya thought about the past couple of months as she walked. Kirlothenin had forced her to face her own feelings towards him. But he couldn't force her to love him. A part of her wanted to love him because he was the father of her baby. Realistically, however, she knew that to be a wrong reason.

Another part of her used to hate him, fear him, distrust him. It was that part of her that kept her held back and reserved. She no longer hated and feared him. But trust was still an issue for her. Despite his making himself completely vulnerable to her, it was still _his_ plan to do so. Of course he wouldn't do anything against her if he was trying to gain her trust. Still, he seemed in earnest. She only wished she knew how to get past her own doubts. He was a powerful mage. He's proven he could get into her mind numerous times. He could block memories and make her go places she didn't know she was going. And he can make some sort of mental connection to her.

Oddly enough, she did believe him when he promised to protect her and Adorei. He's proven himself in that regard, almost getting himself killed while trying to save her. She trusted him with her life...just not her heart.

A shadow enveloped her and her path was suddenly blocked. She had been looking at Adorei and hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. Ileeya had bumped into someone. Looking up, she stared into the sneering face of a male night elf. He had the large build of a warrior. His long purple hair had silver streaks in it and was pulled up into a topknot. Surprised at his look, she stepped back, wondering if she had offended him. "Sorry." She altered her course but found him mirroring her movement. "Excuse me." She tried to go around him again. And for the third time, he blocked her.

Ileeya glanced back to where her father had been, but she couldn't see him. She was on her own. Straightening her back, she shifted Adorei to one arm ready to speak more firmly when he spoke first. "So it's true!" Ileeya blinked and saw him looking at Adorei. The baby's blue eyes were open and looking around. "I didn't believe him when he told me. I told him that no self-respecting kaldorei would have a baby with a traitorous sin'dorei!"

Ileeya began to grow nervous for Adorei. Most night elves she had come across either calmly accepted the child of mixed heritage without question, or quietly scorned them, but left them alone. This was the first aggressive show of contempt she had seen. "Sir, as you know, this is a peaceful town. Please take your aggression elsewhere or the wardens will see to it that you cool off in a cell for the night." She tried to be polite, but firm at the same time.

"Wardens? I don't see any warden's here."

Ileeya's stomach began to sink as she realized he was right. She could tell from the look on his face that he was looking for trouble. "Look, I just want to go home."

This must have been the wrong thing to say as it seemed to have set him off. "Home? You mean you want to go back into the arms of that fel-sucking leech!" He took a step towards her, but stopped at the sound of another voice.

"If you have a problem with this fel-sucking leech, then I suggest you take it up with me." The warrior turned his head to see a blood elf mage standing not too far from them.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Ileeya backed away from the warrior who now seemed to focus on Kirlothenin. Kirlothenin slowly moved so that the warrior's back was now to Ileeya. "However, I assure you, I will provide much more of a challenge to you then a woman holding a helpless infant."

The night elf unsheathed a large sword. "I accept your challenge, sin'dorei." He immediately crouched into a fighting stance, then with a roar, charged forward. Kirlothenin cast his blink spell, materializing right in front of Ileeya. Looking her in the eyes he raised a hand and muttered another spell, at the last second turning towards the halting warrior and pointing his hand towards him.

A thud was heard as the sword fell to the ground. The warrior couldn't hold it if his hands were hooves. The mage had polymorphed him into a sheep. Kirlothenin quickly turned back to Ileeya, anger in his fel-green eyes. "Why were you traveling alone? Where's your father?"

As if on cue, Dormir landed and transformed out of his stormcrow form as he took in the situation. "What happened?"

"One of your own was harassing Ileeya. You were supposed to be with her!"

Ileeya was getting irritated with Kirlothenin's anger. "Dad was called away and I decided to continue walking instead of wait for him. I don't know why you're getting angry. I've walked home by myself plenty of times!" She saw a look pass between Kirlothenin and her father and began to feel that there was something more going on. "What? What are you keeping from me?"

Dormir sighed as Kirlothenin calmed himself down. "Kir, take her home and explain. I'll wait here for your spell to wear off and then take this fellow to the holding cells."

Kirlothenin took Adorei from Ileeya, doing a quick check to make sure his daughter was alright. They walked as he explained. "As you know, they are expecting more people to show up here for the festival. Tensions have also been rising between the Alliance and Horde. Now imagine that tension here in Moonglade when all those people arrive tomorrow."

Ileeya began to understand where he was going with this. "That's why they are increasing security this year."

"And why your father and I want to make sure you and Adorei are not alone at any time, as you have just found out. Even your own race will hold bitterness for Adorei as will mine."

They had arrived at their house, but she stopped before entering. "Kir, I understand the need for extra precautions. But-" She looked at him with a slight bit of annoyance. "Why didn't you and father just tell me this in the first place? I may not have walked off by myself had I known of your concern."

"We didn't want to worry you." She glared at him and he sighed. "Okay. We should have told you. Now go in. You've got company."

Ileeya entered the house and grinned at the sight of her brother, Jelune. "Hi!" She gave him a hug and the two sat down at the table to catch up.

…

Amy Masters jumped out of bed, looking around her new room. She still found it hard to believe her dreams were coming true! Not too ago she was just an orphan trying to get by. She felt attached to Miss Kristie right away when the older woman was introduced to her. They did many things together before Adam came along and saved her from some bullies. She had adored him in an innocent and trusting manner from almost the moment she had set eyes on him.

So when she saw that he and Kristie were no longer fighting but actually getting along, she felt something stir within her. A part of her missed her dad who had raised her by himself until he had been deployed to Northrend during the war. She had stayed with family friends at the time, but when it was announced that her father had died, the friends had also found out that their father had died also. The family could not support or raise Amy...not if they wanted to look after their own children. So, with reluctance, they had given her over to the orphanage where they knew she could be properly cared for.

The happiest moment in her life so far was when Adam and Kristie had announced their engagement, and that they planned to adopt her. But she had a hard lesson to learn about patience. Adam and Kristie warned her from the start that they had wanted a long engagement due to their recent adventures. They wanted to make sure their feelings for each other were true and not a result of the danger they had been in.

Almost a year ago Kristie and Adam had been taken hostage by a mad woman. They had escaped and traveled to distant places in order to keep her from finding them. In the end, the woman was caught and Kristie and Adam returned home, injured, but well.

Two weeks ago, Amy celebrated her tenth birthday. She received many gifts- among them, a small horse sculpture that Miss Kristie made herself, and a kitten Adam bought for her. And the best gift of all was when Adam and Kristie had finally announced a date for their wedding. With that set, Amy officially was able to move from the orphanage to the Alexston's home. She would live there with Kristie's parents until Adam and Kristie came back from their honeymoon.

Amy turned her mind to the present as she washed her face in the basin and got dressed. Today was the first day of the Lunar Festival and she was exited to go to Moonglade for the first time. After her face and hands were washed, she took the steps two at a time and leaped over last three steps, earning an admonishing look from Mrs. Alexston. "Sorry."

The older woman smiled at her apology and went back to cooking eggs in a pan. Mr. Alexston was finishing his eggs, but paused to greet her. "Morning."

Amy gave him a big grin. "Morning, Mr. Alexston."

A look passed between him and his wife and he put his fork down, wiping his mouth with a napkin before glancing at Amy. "You know, if my daughter is going to adopt you, then it seems that such formalities are not needed." He saw the child frown, then reached over and patted her hand. "By that, I mean I want you to stop calling me Mr. Alexston and call me...Baros." He was hesitant to be called 'Grandpa' just yet. He wasn't old enough to be a grandfather! "And you can call Mrs. Alexston, Elenor."

Amy smiled. "Okay, Mr...uh, Baros." She gave a giggle at the name, unused to saying it.

There was a knock at the door and Amy jumped up. "Can I answer the door?"

Baros began to stand. "Not without an adult nearby."

"I'll answer it with her, Dad." Baros looked up to see his daughter, Kristie, come down the stairs. Amy ran to her, giving her a hug before they both opened the door. Kristie froze as Amy said "Hello." The man at the door was Lord Aron Boxley. While she was used to nobles occasionally stopping by for business with her father, this particular noble just happened to be her fiancé's father. Adam and his father didn't get along...at all. Adam refused to speak to Aron because he blamed him for his brother's death.

It was an awkward situation for Kristie. She cleared her throat and gave him a quick curtsey due his rank, indicating for Amy to do the same. She then glanced at her father. "Lord Aron to see you, Father."

The noble lifted his hand to indicate for Baros to remain where he was. "Actually, Miss Alexston, I wanted to speak with you alone, if you have a moment?" He stepped aside with a sweep of his arm outwards as though it didn't even occur to him that she might decline.

"What business have you with my daughter, Lord Aron?" Baros approached them, his voice distrusting, yet allowing a small amount of cordiality because of his rank. He had his own reasons for not trusting the man.

Boxley narrowed his eyes briefly. "Is there a problem with wishing to speak to my future daughter-in-law?" This made Kristie pause to wonder. She didn't know that he even knew his son was engaged. It was the first time he had ever spoken to her.

Before Baros could reply, Kristie spoke up in hopes of preventing an argument. "Lord Aron, I'm actually fairly busy today. Adam is coming over any moment now and we will be attending the Lunar Festival together with Amy."

"I ask only a few minutes of your time, Miss Alexston. We can talk here in the courtyard if you wish." The courtyard of the Cathedral was practically on their front doorstep.

Kristie bit her lower lip. She was extremely curious as to what he would have to say to her. On the other hand, if Adam saw them talking, he would probably get very upset. Curiosity won out. "Very well. Just a few minutes." She indicated for Amy to go finish her breakfast and then stepped outside, leaving the door open because she knew her father would want to keep an eye on them.

They reached a spot near the fountain in the center of the Cathedral's courtyard before he spoke up. "Miss Alexston, as there is not much time, I will be frank. I wish to speak to Adam and would like your help in that regard." His voice was business-like as if he were speaking of a transaction of some sort, not as a father desperate to speak to his son.

Kristie took a little offense in that, but masked her feelings on the matter. "Lord Aron, I know why he chooses not to speak to you, and I don't think I can convince him otherwise, especially considering, I tend to agree with his reasons."

Lord Aron frowned, anger and frustration showing clearly on his face. "But you do not know _my_ reasons! Is it not fair that you have only one side of the story and make judgment on that?"

This stung Kristie, as she recognized that he was right in this instance. She took caution, however, knowing how tricky some nobles could be. "I know that Ruben died because of _your_ order for him to do something he thought was stupid." She dared him with a look to deny her statement.

He surprised her when he did not deny it. In fact, he even admitted it. "It was my order." The man's voice softened a degree. "I refused to accept any responsibility back then, Miss Alexston. But I've had thirteen years to think upon that moment." He sighed. "Thirteen years is a long time to think both sons dead."

Kristie blinked at this sudden change and revelation. "Both?"

Aron nodded. "Both. When Adam disappeared without a trace and the rumors spread of his joining the Defias Brotherhood, I..." He broke off a moment to compose himself. "I searched for him, of course, but to no avail. I hadn't heard anything from him. Not one word. I was so sure there would have been a note to let me know he was okay and somewhere safe at least. But, no."

He ran his hand through his dark brown hair in an oddly similar fashion that Adam did. "The first time I had any indication he was alive and well was when he announced himself at your father's trial. I looked him in the eyes for the first time in over a decade and saw the exact same look he gave me the night he ran away."

Lord Aron fell silent and Kristie could almost feel sorry for him...almost. Her voice was softer as she spoke. "That is a long time." She tried to imagine worrying over Amy for thirteen years.

"Will you help me, Miss Alexston?"

Kristie thought of Adam and sighed. "I don't think there's anything I can do. Despite your realizations and regret, no one can change the past. Ruben is still dead."

"And I will continue to bear that guilt. Nonetheless, do you blame me for wanting to reunite with my one remaining son?"

Kristie shook her head. "I don't know what I can do, but I'll speak to him about it." She looked him in the eye then. "But if he insists on me dropping it, I will."

Aron nodded his head. "An attempt is all I ask. I will continue to do what I can as well." He then gave her a respectful half-bow before turning and walking away in his abrupt way.

Kristie watched him leave for a moment, then sighed and stepped back to her home and inquiries from her parents. She waited until Amy went upstairs to make her bed before she briefly explained to them what the noble had wanted.

Baros frowned as he muddled this over. As a father, he couldn't help but sympathize with the man. However, neither would he have done what the noble had. Of course, he didn't like his daughter being put in the middle like that either. He put his breakfast dish in the washtub and turned to watch Kristie chat with Elenor. He had remained silent on the matter since the first time he had seen her kissing Adam. Baros had to admit that he could see how happy she was with him, and that Adam had a good heart. He was able to protect her as well. If only the boy had continued his paladin training. But, no. He _had_ to be a rogue.

…

Adam, Kristie, and Amy approached the druids just outside the city. Amy was bouncing around with excitement. The smile on her face couldn't be any bigger. "Now, remember the rules, Amy?"

She looked up at Adam, nodding her head. "Stay near you. Don't talk to any Horde members, even if they know Common, unless they are one of the Cenarion Circle tauren druids. If we get separated, tell a Moonglade warden and/or go to..." She scrunched up her face as she tried to recall the name of the meeting spot. "...the moonwell?"

Adam nodded. "Good. It should be safe there. The druids don't tolerate any trouble between the Horde and Alliance."

"Aren't they from Horde and Alliance factions themselves?"

"Yes and no. Although they are comprised of night elves and worgen of the Alliance, and tauren and trolls of the Horde, they consider themselves neutral. Their focus is taking care of nature and keeping Azeroth balanced."

"Balanced? How?"

Adam laughed. "I honestly don't know. Maybe we can ask them while we're there. Now here-" He pulled out what looked like a stone and handed it to her. "This is to be used in an emergency only, understand?"

Amy held the stone. It was smooth with some inscriptions on it and small enough to fit into her pocket. "What is it?"

"It's a stone." He grinned at her sardonic look. "Okay. It's more than that. If you get into trouble and we aren't there, rub it. I'll glow and grow warm to show that it is activated. Kristie and I have stones as well. Yours will glow ruby red. Mine glows silver, and Kristie's glows gold. If you use it, ours will glow red to show it was yours that was activated. They'll also help us to find you. Remember, it's only to be used in an emergency. Okay?"

She nodded and he turned to purchase the fireworks they needed to earn their invitations to the festival in Moonglade. The invitations were magical and could be used inside the huge moonbeam near the vendor. They set off the fireworks as instructed. Amy laughed at all the pretty colors.

"Hello Adam, Lady Alexston, Miss Masters."

The three turned to see Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker approach. "Good morning, Lord Grayson." Kristie gave a quick curtsey, noting Amy did the same. Ever since Adam had proposed to Kristie, Lord Grayson had insisted on giving Kristie the title of 'Lady'. Technically, she wouldn't get that title until she married Adam. Even then, she wasn't sure if she should have it. Adam had abandoned his family and noble roots. He even refused to be called Boxley, going by his first name only.

Noting Adam's nod of respect, Grayson returned the nod. "On your way to Moonglade?"

"Yes. We were just about to go through the moonbeam that will transport us there."

"Good. Good." He looked at Kristie and seemed to be almost embarrassed about something. "Um, Lady Alexston, if I may have a moment?" Kristie nodded and stepped away with him. "I have a confession and a request." He paused as he saw her look of curiosity. "The sculpture you made for me has met with an unfortunate accident. One of my servants accidentally knocked it over, and it now has a crack and a couple of chips out of it."

Kristie looked concerned for a moment, with mixed feelings on the matter. She had started that sculpture when she and Adam had to hide in his house along with Adam's SI:7 partner, Maggie Strome. She hadn't finished it, though, until after that adventure had ended. But she also had to wait to finish it because her shoulder had been injured and she hadn't been able to even lift the hammer. Under Grayson's firm and often irritating guidance, Kristie had been able to recover.

The first thing she did once she was able to sculpt again, was finish what she had started for him. It was a simple flat stone in which she had carved one large eye patch that matched his, as well as his other eye. But inside the iris of that eye, she had sculpted the view from the balcony in the upstairs sitting room of his house. It was as though the top of Stormwind was being reflected in his watchful gaze.

When he had finally seen the sculpture, she had heard a sharp intake of breath from him. He had been silent for a few minutes and replied simply with, "I think I know just where to display that." His reaction had been thanks enough for her.

"I can take a look at it in a few days and see what I can do to fix it." She gave him a reassuring smile. He thanked her and continued on his own journey.

When she returned to Adam and Amy, she briefly told them what happened and then they entered the large beam of moonlight. With each of them holding their invitations, they spoke the words and immediately found themselves among a number of humans who were dancing in celebration around the moonbeam they arrived in. It was essentially a portal, but not created by the same arcane magic that mages use for their portals. Actually, none of them understood just what magic was used, but it didn't really matter. This was their first trip as a family. They were more concerned about enjoying themselves than how they got there.

There were signs pointing in the direction of the main town, Nighthaven. The small family walked up the road for ten minutes before rounding a corner to see the town come into sight. Moonglade was beautiful. It was relatively small compared to some territories, but not so small that one couldn't get lost in the forest. They made their way through the town until they reached what looked like a dock or wooden platform of some sort. There were two vendors and a night elf who told them he would give an award for shooting off fireworks in rapid succession.

Amy was too young to participate, but she could watch. She cheered Kristie and Adam on as they successfully shot off the fireworks and were rewarded with something called Elune's Candle which was a single canister that shot a firework at a target. It could be used however many times it had charges.

They walked off the platform and wandered around the town. All of a sudden, a large white saber cat jumped onto Adam, knocking him down and pinning him. Amy screamed and Kristie immediately pulled her back out of harm's way.

"What the-?" Adam stopped himself from cursing in front of Amy. A deep, rolling laugh came from a few feet away as the now playful cat panted into Adam's face. Adam grimaced at the foul-smelling breath. "Jelune! Get your stinking cat off me!" A whistle from its owner commanded the hunter's pet to jump off the human.

As the rogue stood up, dusting himself off, he heard Kristie begin to laugh. He threw her a glare and turned to the night elf. "Thanks a lot, Jelune." The sarcasm dripped off his voice. But he approached the elf and offered his hand in friendship.

Jelune took it happily. "You should have seen your face, Adam." He chuckled again before nodding towards Kristie. "Ishnu-alah, Kristie. It is good to see you safe."

Adam glanced at Amy, peeking out from behind Kristie. Both fear and curiosity were in her eyes. "Jelune, I would like to introduce you to my soon-to-be adopted daughter, Amy Masters...the one you just scared to death with your little prank."

Jelune's smile faded as he knelt down in front of her. "My apologies, child. I did not mean to frighten you." Adam gave a small grin of satisfaction at Jelune's sudden contriteness.

Amy gave him a shy smile, then glanced nervously at Sabine. Noticing the glance, Jelune grinned and gave his large pet a rub on the head. "Don't worry about Sabine, here. She won't hurt you. She was only greeting Adam for me. Come. You can pet her if you like." She approached the large cat and Sabine seemed to oblige her by lowering her head for Amy to scratch behind her ears. When the child did so, the oversized kitten purred, delighting Amy as it did so.

Jelune stood and turned back to Adam. "Better?"

Adam ignored his smirk. "Is Ileeya here as well?"

"Of course she's here. Where else would she be?"

Adam raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Where is she? I'd like to introduce her to Amy as well."

The hunter glanced around and spotted Ileeya a short distance away, directing some visitors towards the vendors. She looked up at that moment, spying her brother with Adam and Kristie. Ileeya walked over and greeted them. "Ishnu-alah, Adam and Kristie. It has been a long time." She gave them a smile as Adam introduced the child that was with them.

Amy had never been around so many night elves before, much less acquainted with any. Now she knew two of them! She tilted her head and noticed two tattoos on the female's face. "What are those for?" She pointed to the marks.

"They are tattoos. A right of passage of sorts," she replied patiently.

Kristie glanced at her face, seeing what looked like green leaves around her eyes. "Are those new? I'm sorry. I don't recall from when last we met."

Ileeya nodded her head. "Yes. When you met me before, I was not yet considered an adult. I've since finished my schooling and have already learned much as a druid. I'm considered an adult among my people now and have chosen my marks proudly."

Kristie was curious about this. "Does it have a meaning?"

"For me, yes. Each tattoo is different for each night elf with a meaning they bring to it. Mine shows both my desire to cultivate plant life, and my desire to heal those who need it."

"They're pretty." Amy reached up and touched the night elf's face.

"Thank you. I think so, too." Ileeya then stood and glanced at the trio. "If you don't mind, I would like to invite you to dinner. I'd love to catch up with you. And there's...some things I should let you know."

Jelune glanced behind her. "You'll have to explain now, Ileeya."

Adam followed his gaze and saw a blood elf carrying a bundle. He frowned slightly, trying to place where he had seen the elf before. Then it dawned on him and he began to tense up as his eyes flicked over to Ileeya before resting once again on the blood elf. It was the blood elf that had kidnapped Ileeya! What was he doing here? Adam's hand hovered over his daggers as the blood elf stopped and watched him.

Jelune put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "Stand down, Adam. There's been a few...changes since last we met." Adam looked at Jelune with a little surprise. "Kirlothenin is no longer our enemy." There seemed to be a mix of emotion behind Jelune's eyes. Adam surmised that the hunter both accepted this blood elf as an ally, and disliked him at the same time.

"Booty Bay." Kirlothenin finally placed where he had seen the human before. "One of the bidders." He watched the way Jelune interacted with the rogue and quickly realized the human's role in how Ileeya had escaped back then. "Ah. A ploy. Clever." He moved carefully to stand near Ileeya and shifted the bundle in his arms, which Adam finally saw was a baby. "I had been curious how that was managed."

Adam felt very confused at this point. Ileeya wasn't afraid of him anymore, it seemed. She even turned to him to talk to him. "Kirlothenin, this is Adam." Ileeya took the baby from Kirlothenin. "Adam, you remember Kirlothenin, I see. But, there has been a change. Kirlothenin is now my protector...our protector." She indicated the infant.

Adam glanced at Jelune for confirmation who only nodded and said, "Perhaps we should make that an early lunch."

Adam looked at Kristie who was confused, but curious about what was going on. Then he looked at Amy, who was more interested in playing with Sabine at the moment. There was obviously no fear from Ileeya or Jelune. Adam felt satisfied that there was little danger, though he still did not trust the blood elf. "Kristie?" He looked at her again. "Mind a change of plans?" She shook her head and indicated for them to lead the way.

**...**

He found her. Jerold couldn't believe his luck. It had been over a year since he had last seen her, but his memory was as sharp as ever. The forsaken quietly moved a little closer to the group, making sure he wasn't noticed. As he did so, he noticed the blood elf with her and found himself momentarily shocked. The traitor! It was the blood elf who had sold her to him! Jerold fought to contain his outrage at the elf for keeping her! How he spirited her away, he didn't know. The undead man looked at the others in the group and spied the human rogue. Or perhaps, he did. That was the same rogue who was bidding against him!

Jerold could see the scam now. They put in one of their own to make the bidding go up, then when he was distracted with paying them, the rogue took off with her. They took his money and had probably had a good laugh! The forsaken was furious. This, in itself was surprising even to him. Jerold was normally even tempered. This was mainly because he rarely showed any emotion at all. Emotions were for the living. He was undead.

The night elf female was holding something. A baby? He dismissed any concerns. If it was her baby, then it belonged to him, just as she rightfully belonged to him. That was a simple conclusion in his mind. The group was now moving and he tried to follow without being noticed. There were two night elves, the blood elf, and three humans, one of which was a child of...nine? Ten years?

The child reached up and took the hand of the rogue as they walked. So, there was some sort of relationship between the two. He stored that bit of information in the back of his mind. The brown-haired child was now skipping between the two humans and he found himself curious about her. Perhaps it was because she was so young. There were no children in Undercity. Or, at least, none that were so...lively.

The human paused and glanced back around as though he sensed he was being watched. Jerold turned slightly walking in a different direction, while keeping them in his peripheral vision. There were many Horde members walking around the town. He was seemingly just another one here for the festival. When the rogue continued on, the undead man held back. He had to be careful not to be noticed. He followed them silently, and hidden from their sight until they reached a house and entered. He now knew where to find them.

He waited out of sight as he thought about his purpose for being at the Lunar Festival in the first place. The apothecary who hired him was expecting one or two '_subjects_' from here to be brought to him. Jerold knew just who to deliver to him now. But in addition to that, he will have to prepare the cells to hold more than he originally expected to retrieve. He turned to find Lara, the forsaken mage he was working with.

As he walked, he recalled how nearly a year ago, he had to return to the apothecary he worked for empty handed. Jerold had to repay the apothecary the whole sum from his own funds. This set him back monetarily a good deal of money and now he wanted his goods. Jerold's dead skin pulled tight as his yellow eyes narrowed. It didn't matter that he had no idea what to do with her. It was simply a matter of principle. She belonged to him. And he _will_ claim Ileeya as the sold goods she was. The infant will be his as well...a bonus for all the hardships he had received in losing her and having to track her down. The blood elf and rogue will go to the apothecary. The others with them? Well, it's their own fault for being with the traitors.


	2. Chapter 2

Baros kissed his wife goodbye as he left for work. The repairs to Stormwind had finally been completed and new projects are on the table to improve the looks and efficiency of the city, as well as some proposed improvements to it's security. Those are the plans he had to go over today to see what the military had proposed was feasible.

He paused at the door to his office in the City Hall when he saw someone inside waiting for him. With a sigh he entered. "What do you want, Shaw?" He grumbled and went to his desk without looking at the SI:7 leader.

"Good to see you, too." Mathias wasn't too pleased either, but he had business here. "I'm here to inquire about those plans for improvements to Stormwind's security."

"Couldn't you have just snooped around and found it out without talking to me? I mean that's what you do, isn't it?"

Shaw narrowed his eyes and wondered why he bothered to put up with him sometimes. "If I felt you were keeping important information from me, then I just might do that. But you're not, so let's get back to business."

Baros huffed and straightened his back. "Fine. What do you need to know?"

They spoke of the improvements, adding a wall here, changing a barrier there. After awhile, Shaw cleared his throat. "Baros, there's something else I want...but it'll have to be kept top secret."

"Why am I not surprised?" Baros crossed his arms ignoring Shaw's glare. "What is it?"

He pointed to the blueprints of the city. "I want tunnels dug going from here, to here, and here to here." He pointed to the appropriate spots on the blueprints. "Then some corridor's." He pointed again. "And of course, I don't want them marked on the blueprints. Only you, myself, Rinzik, and the royal family are to know of them. The stonecutters you assign must be highly trusted, and be willing to have mind blocks put in place, preventing them from recalling their part in making them."

Baros bristled. He hated secret stuff, but understood the need for it for the most part. "That's going to take a lot of gold from the taxpayers, Shaw. I can tell you that right away."

"SI:7 will pay for it, not the taxpayers."

The architect raised an eyebrow. "Out of your own coffers, eh? I wonder if the guild is paid too much for their services."

Mathias gave a knowing smile. "It's from a...different source."

Baros raised his hand. "I don't wanna know any more." He shook his head. "I'll draw up some ideas later and get back to you on this. For now, I have other official business to do." He cleaned up his desk and locked away certain papers before exiting the building to go do his rounds looking after some of his workers and the progress of their projects.

Shaw glanced at the safe Baros had put the papers in after the architect had left. If that was the only security the man had for certain important papers, he may have to assign an agent to keep watch around here during this project. Mathias grinned as he thought how much Baros would just _love_ to have another rogue hanging around his business. With that thought, he left for his headquarters.

**...**

Ileeya wasn't up for preparing lunch just yet. So, she brought out a bowl of fruit and some moonberry juice to put on the table. No one had spoken since they had started their journey to the house. Even now, as they sat at the table, they were silent. The only one making any noise was Amy who was playing off to the side with Sabine. Jelune sat with her, ready to keep the child distracted from the conversation at the table.

Kristie pulled out her sketchbook from her pack, waiting for someone to say something. But the silence seemed to continue with the blood elf and Adam exchanging cautious looks. Ileeya seemed unsure of where to start. Kristie decided to break the silence herself. "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Kristie Alexston. You are...?"

"Kirlothenin Dawnwhisper."

She ignored Adam's warning look. "So, I take it you all met in Booty Bay?"

Silence.

_Oookay, _she thought to herself._... Let's try something else. _Kristie looked at the the infant. "What's her name?"

"Adorei." Ileeya turned the baby to Kristie so she could get a better look.

"She's beautiful." Kristie admired the small elf and immediately began to sketch her. She made quick work of the eyes and shape of the head. The ears were a little more erect than Ileeya's and the hair was lighter. It was almost the same color as Kirlothenin's. Kristie stopped the sketching and looked at the blood elf as she slowly began to realize what she was seeing. Adorei had mixed parentage.

Kirlothenin watched her with a mild but cautious curiosity. Kristie looked back at Ileeya. The night elf sighed as she realized that Kristie had figured it out. "This is what we wanted to talk to you about." She cleared her throat. "Please hear us through before reacting." She glanced at Adam when she said this. "About a month after we last saw you, Kirlothenin...erm...convinced us to help him on a mission."

"That's putting it mildly." Kirlothenin stood in slight annoyance, not wanting to sit through this. "If you insist on telling them our history, then they deserve to know the whole truth." He looked at Adam and Kristie. "I kidnapped them and forced Jelune to help me on a dangerous mission."

Adam narrowed his eyes, but because Ileeya wanted him to hear the whole story, he refrained from saying or doing anything...for now.

Ileeya continued. "During that mission..." She looked at Kirlothenin and found herself unable to continue.

Kirlothenin sighed. She and Jelune were the ones who wanted to tell them what had happened. He didn't think it was any of their business. Now she's expecting him to continue the sordid story of all his misdeeds? He gripped the back of the chair that was in front of him. "During the mission, I lost control of myself. Alcohol and dreams led me to do something I would not have thought I'd ever do." He nodded towards the infant. "Adorei is the result."

Adam shot up, his hands formed into fists and Kristie quickly grabbed his arm. She hissed quietly in his ear, "Not in front of Amy!" Adam's only acknowledgment was to stay still. He glared at Kirlothenin.

"There's more." Ileeya spoke again. "When he found out that I was pregnant, he came to me and asked me not to terminate. After...discussing it, I agreed."

Kirlothenin gave a derisive laugh. "Discussing. More like after you tried to beat me to a pulp."

"Well, do you blame me?" She threw him a glare.

"No." He answered softly. "I deserved it, and more." His tone turned more serious as he addressed Adam and Kristie but kept his gaze on Ileeya. "She showed great mercy to me."

Kristie felt the need to interrupt at this point. "Ileeya, why are you telling us this? Don't get me wrong, I'm quite curious and frankly, fascinated by your story, but...it's very personal. You don't _have_ to tell us."

There was silence for a moment, then Ileeya spoke. "Jelune and I talked about this last night. When he said that Adam had written to him wanting to meet up at the festival, we considered whether or not to tell you the truth." Ileeya lowered her silver eyes. "I didn't want that. I mean, I didn't want everyone to know how Adorei came about. But neither did I want to lie. And Jelune seemed to think that you two would understand."

She looked at Adorei who was yawning and beginning to grab at Ileeya's tunic. "Right now we need friends and allies who will support us and Adorei. This child will have too many enemies just because of her mixed heritage." She looked at them. "And since you two are neither kaldorei, nor sin'dorei..."

Kristie understood where she was going. "...then we would have no prejudices in that regard." She wondered if they were aware that humans struggle with their own prejudices as well? There are a few half-elves in Stormwind, the result of high elf and human couples. Half-elves were often treated with disrespect, although Kristie never understood why. She looked at Adam who was about ready to burst from his own frustration. She decided it might be best to go for a walk to let him work that energy out.

Throwing a pointed look in Adam's direction she asked, "Do you mind if Adam and I go for a walk? We can continue afterwards, if you want." She placed a hand on Ileeya's arm to give her some reassurance. "I really would like to hear more. But let what we've heard so far sink in a bit, okay?"

Ileeya nodded her understanding. "Adorei is wanting to nurse now anyhow. I'll take her upstairs."

Kristie smiled, then turned to Jelune, but he waved her on before she could say anything. "Amy and I are having too much fun with Sabine to walk with you, right Amy?" The child nodded and Kristie could have almost hugged him for his thoughtfulness.

She led Adam outside, but he refused to go beyond the property line. He paced back and forth, keeping one eye on the window that they could see Amy through. "You're too trusting, Kristie." He would have brought Amy out with them if it wasn't for the topic of discussion he knew was going to happen.

"Jelune can look after her, and I don't believe Kirlothenin has any reason to harm her. And that's not why we're out here."

Adam ran his hand through his hair. "I know. What do you expect me to do? Accept him as though he hasn't done anything? You heard what he did!"

She checked her own temper before replying. "I heard. But I also saw the regret in his body language and facial expression and the tone of voice. You also heard what Ileeya said. She wants our support, not our judgment."

"I'm not judging _her_."

"No. But apparently, there seems to have been some sort of resolution between those two. I think she wants us to accept him as well."

"No! I will not accept him just like that! You should have seen the smug look on his face when he was ready to sell her into slavery! I was _there_, Kristie."

Kristie put her hands on his arms and looked into his eyes. "Maybe that's why I can look at them a bit more objectively. Adam, she's our friend, and she needs us. You don't have to trust him. Just don't...beat him up, okay?" She gave a small smile. "I think that's all she wants."

Adam wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. "I'll give her the benefit of the doubt for now." He sighed. "She does seem to care about that kid, doesn't she?"

Kristie nodded her head. "Regardless of how the child came about, I saw how much she loved her from the start. Perhaps that's why she tolerates Kirlothenin." There was silence between them for a few minutes as Kristie's mind turned from Kirlothenin to another father she had spoken to earlier that morning. She hadn't had time to tell Adam about his father's visit before they left for the festival. But was now a good time?

She frowned. There was probably never a good time for that subject. She might as well get it over with. "Adam...There's something I need to-"

"Who are you?"

The two broke apart quickly to see a large night elf druid standing nearby with a stern look on his face. He had shoulder-length green hair and a short beard and mustache. "We're friends of Ileeya and Jelune. I'm Adam and this is Kristie." Adam stepped slightly in front of Kristie as he said this, unsure of why this druid was asking who they were.

The night elf seemed to relax slightly. "My apologies. Ileeya and Jelune did mention you were coming. I had temporarily forgotten. My name is Dormir. I am Ileeya's father." He gave a slight bow of his head in greeting.

Adam returned the gesture. "A pleasure to meet you, sir." He wondered just where this elf stood in regards to Kirlothenin. "We were just getting acquainted with Ileeya's daughter and... Kirlothenin." He watched the druid's face veil over into a mask.

"Yes. My granddaughter is beautiful, is she not?" Adam and Kristie both nodded. The druid studied them for a moment then added, "Adorei is loved by her family. She is, unfortunately, disliked by many others. Others who...do not accept her heritage."

Dormir knelt down and whispered something under his breath. Before their eyes, a purple flower grew out of the ground. "She is fragile, like this flower." All of a sudden, more flowers grew around it. These were larger. On one side were some red flowers. On the other side were blue ones. They seemed to almost crowd out the small purple flower in the midst of them. Dormir took some sticks and stuck them in the ground around the purple blossom, and a small vine wrapped itself around the sticks effectively creating a fence that kept the larger buds back.

"If she is to survive, she will need every post in the fence set firmly in solid ground around her." He stood and looked at them. "Ileeya, Jelune, and I are not enough, as much as we would like it to be." He tapped the top of the largest and strongest-looking stick. "Adorei _needs_ her father." The plants disappeared back into the ground and Dormir gave them a pointed look. "The more posts, the stronger the protective fence will be. Don't you agree?"

Adam nodded his head. "I think I understand a bit better now. Thank you." The druid nodded his head and gave him a brief smile before entering the house. Adam looked at Kristie. "Interesting fellow."

Kristie laughed. "To say the least. I wouldn't mind having a few more conversations with him sometime." They followed him back into the house to introduce him to Amy.

**…**

Jerold entered his laboratory, quickly searching for the materials he would need. He had no idea how long that group would stay at that house and he wanted to get everything prepared as fast as possible. He'd already prepared the cells for his 'guests'. Now he needed some extra materials to make the capture and transition of prisoners smooth.

Lara entered behind him. "Why not just take them to Undercity?"

"Because I want them to know what's coming." He turned to her. "When I give you the elf and human, you will take them the long way. No portals." He pulled out a pair of shackles and looked them over. They were not what he wanted. "Where are they?" He tossed the shackles to the side.

"I'll do whatever, as long as I get payment ahead of time."

Jerold glared at her. "You'll get your gold." Ever since he had returned empty-handed that one time, very few others would pay him until he delivered, nor would they do services for him until after he paid them. This made things very difficult for him as he had very little money left after paying back the apothecary. It wasn't until only recently that he had finally gotten his own finances stable again. He opened an old wardrobe and knocked things off the top shelf before pausing as he felt what he hoped was what he was looking for. He pulled a stool over and stood on it to reach to the very back of the shelf.

Lara watched him with mild curiosity as he pulled out another pair of shackles. These ones had some sort of inscription on them. Jerold took the key in one of the locks and tested them. Satisfied, he put them in his bag. Next he went to a cabinet with a variety of tubes, vials, and other jars and containers. He deftly pulled different ingredients and stacked them into a box with a handle on it. He then tossed a few things away on a table in search of something else. Lara noted the forsaken had no concern for tidiness...not that she had any concern for it either.

A few minutes later, he had finally finished gathering all he believed he would need and approached her. "Okay, know what your job is?"

She let out a sarcastic cackle. "I'm the portal whore."

Jerold turned his dead gaze on her. "You are more than that, my dear. You know I respect your abilities more than just your portals."

"Sure, Jerold, sure." She brushed him off, but seemed satisfied with his statement. "And just what do you have planned for the others?"

He shrugged. "I have experiments of my own to do. Some will go for that. Perhaps I could use a servant. We'll see if any are worthy. Maybe I'll sell another to the Society. I'll decide after we are successful. Let's go."

She muttered the spell to create the portal to Moonglade. Despite her sarcasm, she was intrigued with this venture. What Jerold had proposed to do was challenging, but his simple solution to attaining it was genius.


	3. Chapter 3

Kirlothenin pushed the food around on his plate, not really hungry. Ileeya and Dormir had just finished telling the two humans of their adventures with the cult. Adorei was asleep upstairs. The talking was finished and now everyone had fallen silent. Everyone that is, except the child named Amy. Oblivious of what had been discussed before, she was asking question after question about elves. He would have been amused, had he not been in a foul mood already.

He decided he had finally had enough and stood up. He left his dishes on the counter to be washed later and stepped outside to the back yard. The fresh air helped his mood only a little. For the most part these last two months, he had been trying not to remember all that had been discussed today. He walked over to the edge of the garden. One half was filled with various vegetables and some fruit. The other half grew various flowers and some herbs. There was a small herb garden on the back porch as well. He figured that Ileeya could make anything grow.

"Kir?"

He didn't bother turning around, merely raising his hand and crooked his finger to bid her approach. When she stood next to him, he looked at Ileeya. She had a question in her eyes. "I'm fine, Ileeya."

"No, you're not."

"Hm." He looked at the garden once more. He remained silent for a couple minutes. "I still don't understand why you insist on telling your friends what is none of their business. Even this Kristie had said so."

"We need friends to help us look after Adorei."

"We can look after her without them." When she said nothing, he looked at her once more. There was worry in her eyes and he sighed. He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, letting his fingers linger against her violet cheek for just a moment longer than needed. "I cannot argue with your decision as there is some truth to it. I am still unused to relying on others."

He wanted to kiss her, but held back. Ever since that first kiss between them, he had been somewhat reserved. He had succeeded in making her recognize that she cared for him. Now he waited for her to decide if she could love him. This was something he could not force, as much as he wanted to sometimes. But he refused to back off too much. He kept up small gestures to constantly remind her that he loved her in hopes of her finally returning the emotion.

"Maybe if we return to the festival together, it'll give you and them a chance to get to know each other better?"

Letting his hand drop down to her hand, he took it and brought it to his lips. "Perhaps." Her reaction to his kiss was as expected. She neither pulled away, nor encouraged him further. She merely accepted the gesture. "Come. Let us see if these humans are truly as worthy as you believe them to be." He turned with her and followed her back into the house.

Dormir was descending the stairs with Adorei as they entered the home. "She woke up while you two were outside." Ileeya reached to take the baby, but Dormir waved her away. "I want to hold my granddaughter. You relax."

…

Mathias Shaw reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner that led to his office. Standing in front of Shaw's open office door was Renzik, his second-in-command. The goblin rogue had a scowl on his face and his arms crossed in front of his chest. "You've got a...guest."

Very few people ever elicited such a reaction from Renzik. Shaw immediately became both apprehensive and curious to see just who was in his office. He gave a nod to his second-in-command and entered the office. Sitting in Shaw's chair with his feet propped up on his desk was an older man with shoulder length white hair, a neatly trimmed horseshoe mustache, and a small, triangular soul patch for a beard. His black, gray, and silver leather suit was obviously tailored to fit him just right. His collar fastened closed with a sapphire in the shape of a crest.

Had just about any other man been the one to so audaciously sit in Shaw's chair, he would have thrown him out of his office. As it was, Shaw knew that this man was just as dangerous, if not more so, than even he was. Shaw didn't bother closing the door, knowing Renzik would be standing nearby in case he was needed. "Lord Jorach." His voice betrayed none of his feelings of annoyance and concern. He walked over to his desk and picked up a folder, not caring which one it was. He opened it and began to scan the parchment inside. "It's been a long time since you've been to this part of the world."

The older gentleman put his feet down and leaned on Shaw's desk, lacing his fingers together. He turned his ice-blue eyes on Shaw. "When are you going give up this stuffy old job and join my guild, Mathias?"

Shaw kept himself from looking at the man. "Hm, give up being leader of Stormwind's Assassins to become one of your lackey's? Tempting." His voice remained deadpanned.

Lord Jorach chuckled. "You have a point." He then stood up. "Well, down to business then." He moved around the desk. "I'm looking to do some renovations back home. And of course, I'll only hire the best to do the job."

"I'm flattered, but I'm afraid my expertise lies in another field." Mathias closed the file he was holding and set it back down on his desk, now giving the man his full attention.

Another chuckle. "Always ready with a sarcastic remark." He returned to the topic at hand. "Of course, I had heard a long time ago that my first choice for this job had died. It's too bad. He was good...as I'm sure you are well aware." He swept his arm around Shaw's office. "Stormwind is looking very nice these days." He turned to study a simple painting on the wall. "I hear that the one responsible still resides in Stormwind. I'd like to talk to him."

Mathias frowned ever so slightly. This wasn't good. "I'm afraid that man is very busy with many different projects on his table. It might be in your best interest to look elsewhere, Jorach." He leaned back on the edge of his desk, keeping a cautious eye on the older man in front of him. "Besides, I can tell you right now that he won't like you. He's got a ...peculiar dislike for our kind."

"Oh, he doesn't have to like me." Jorach turned around to face Shaw again. "I'm used to that anyhow. It won't bother me in the least." He stepped over to the bookshelves now and began perusing the titles on the spines of the books. "I'm prepared to offer him a substantial amount."

"Regardless of the amount, I know for a fact that he'll turn you down. Again, you would do yourself a favor by finding someone else."

Lord Jorach narrowed his eyes slightly and his mouth formed a small pout. "I suppose you are right. You would know best, now wouldn't you?" He turned towards the door, pausing before leaving. "Come visit me sometime, Mathias. I'm sure everyone back home would love to see you again." With that, the man left Shaw's office.

Mathias did not relax, however, as Renzik entered. "I sent Jackson."

Shaw nodded, needing no other explanation. "I've got a bad feeling."

…

Amy was transfixed. Not only was she listening with rapture to the story being told by the creature in front of her, but she was also in awe of the creature itself. He was a keeper of the grove. Although his torso and head were like the night elves, his body was that of a stag. Antlers grew out of the top of his head and his left arm was twisted and gnarled like the branch of a tree. Vines grew on his right hand and forearm. And his hair was made up of leaves and moss.

His voice rumbled deeply as he spoke. The story he regaled was that of when the demigods had rushed the Burning Legion and had been able to push them back even for a time being. Keeper Remulos, the one telling the story, was said to be the son of the demigod, Cenarius.

There were no chairs. Those listening had to either stand, or sit on the grassy ground. Amy sat on the grass, leaning back against Adam as she listened. Kristie sat next to him. Ileeya, Dormir, Kirlothenin, and Jelune sat nearby as well. As the story wrapped up, people began to stand and move on in separate ways.

Dormir bid them to stay and once the area was clear, he approached Keeper Remulos, asking to introduce his friends. The keeper nodded and Dormir signaled for the humans to approach. "Keeper Remulos, I would like to present family friends. This is Adam-" He paused and glanced at Adam, realizing he did not know his last name.

"Just Adam."

Dormir gave a short nod. "Adam, Kristie Alexston, and Amy Masters, their soon-to-be adopted daughter."

Keeper Remulos gave a slight nod in greeting. "Welcome to Moonglade. Are you enjoying the festival so far?"

Amy nodded her head as Adam answered, "We've had quite an interesting day so far. Thank you for your story. You go into more detail than what we've learned in our school system."

"That is probably because humans were a fledgling race at the time of the first war." He turned to observe Adorei. One long talon from his wooden-looking hand gently moved close to the baby. He spoke something in Darnassian. Ileeya bowed her head and she curtseyed before him. His hand moved to hover over Amy and spoke in Darnassian once more. Amy wasn't sure what to do, so she imitated what Ileeya had done. After that, Dormir motioned that it was time to go.

After they walked for a little ways, Adam glanced around with a frown, feeling as though he were being watched. Not seeing anyone, he shrugged it off for now and asked Dormir what Remulos had said back at the shrine. "It was an ancient blessing. To receive a blessing from Keeper Remulos is truly an honor. Amy responded admirably." They continued walking around Lake Elune'ara as Dormir described the Barrow Dens found on the far side of the lake. "It is where many druids, myself included, sleep while we walk the Emerald Dream."

"What's the Emerald Dream?" Amy looked up at him curiously.

"It is a spirit-realm that exists parallel to this physical one. Inside, one will see how Azeroth looked before mortals changed it with their buildings and wars."

"Wow. Can I go there someday?"

"I'm afraid only disciplined druids can go there."

"I wanna be a druid so I can go there!"

Dormir smiled. "It is unheard of for a human to be a druid, other than the Gilneans. But if it is truly what you aspire to be, then maybe one day you will be. We will see."

They had reached the Barrow Dens by this time and Dormir showed them the entrance, though they were not allowed to go in. After looking around some ruins and an old shrine, they decided to go back to Nighthaven. As they returned to the road, they heard some voices laughing and what sounded like a firework shooting off. Dormir and Jelune immediately became alarmed. "What do they think they are doing!"

As they rounded a tree, they saw two human teenage boys shooting trees with fireworks. Occasionally, one of the pyrotechnics would be shot out over the lake. The boys were laughing, thinking it all to be quite hilarious. "Stop!" Jelune yelled at the boys and ran forward as another firework was shot off. "Stop the fireworks! You'll wake him!" Dormir raced after him.

Adam became concerned. "What's going on?" He asked Ileeya. "Wake who?"

"Omen. One of the demigods from the War of the Ancients. He carries the blessing of Elune and is immortal. He used to be full of wisdom, guiding hunters of ancient times. But after the Burning Legion came, he fell into a fitful dream and slowly became consumed with insanity and rage. He was defeated here at this lake, but every year at this time, he stirs. Fireworks shot over the lake can awaken him. It usually takes a number of people to defeat him and send him back to his slumber at the bottom of the lake. If those boys awaken him..."

"They'll be ill-prepared to face him." Kirlothenin finished her sentence for her. They watched as Dormir reached the boys first in his cheetah form. He transformed into his elf form and grabbed the rocket launchers away from the two boys, chastising them for their thoughtlessness. That's when Adam heard it. A low growl behind them. He turned to see a large, ghostly white wolf standing there watching them. Immediately on alert, he asked, "Ileeya? Is that...Omen?"

The rest of them turned as Ileeya shook her head. "No. That's one of his minions. They appear before he does." She said a quick spell and the wolf curled up and fell asleep. "Hopefully that was the only one. It should give us time to retreat to the other side of the lake and gather reinforcements." Ileeya, holding Adorei, quickly led them over to Dormir, Jelune, and the boys. "Minions have appeared. We need to go."

Dormir said something in Darnassian, grabbing each boy by the arm. "Let's go!" But it was too late. First one huge head emerged from the lake, and then another. They were both attached to the same large lupine body. Omen's two head's snarled at the small group in front of him and he let out a loud roar.

Shoving the boys backwards, Dormir immediately transformed into his bear form, even this large form was dwarfed by Omen. He let out his own challenging growl and forced the demigod to focus its attention on him. Kirlothenin was immediately casting his own frostbolt spells as Adam ran forward towards the creature's rear where he could safely stab at it without risk of getting bitten. Ileeya worried for her family and friends. She stayed back with the the others until she saw that Dormir was struck by a massively clawed paw. The thick skin of the bear form is all that saved Dormir from a more fatal wound. Still, blood oozed from the gash in his shoulder.

Ileeya turned to Kristie. "He needs my help! But..." She glanced down at Adorei, concern filling her eyes.

Kristie took the infant from Ileeya. "I'll protect her. Go heal your dad." The young druid gave a grateful look before taking off in her father's direction. Kristie shifted Adorei to one arm and pulled Amy back towards where the two boys were. She nudged them to get them to move further back. She did not want to be anywhere near the fighting, though she couldn't stay too far away, not with Adam in the thick of the danger.

She watched as Dormir swiped at one of the heads and quickly dodged out of the way of its strong jaws. Kirlothenin sent frostbolts that injured it and slowed its movements. Jelune pulled arrow after arrow from his quiver as Sabine clawed at its legs. Adam had somehow jumped on the back of the creature and used his daggers to stab at its spine. The small blades seemed to have little effect on Omen. A few others nearby heard the commotion. Some joined in the fighting, others stood and watched. A few more ran to get help.

Ileeya cast her rejuvenating spells to help the fighters keep up their strength and heal them. When Jelune got Omen to focus on Sabine for a moment, Ileeya quickly dashed to her father. With a touch, she cast a longer and stronger spell that healed his wounds. She was fast to move out of harms way, though. They had other things to worry about, however, as large balls of what looked like starlight fell from out of nowhere. Apparently, Omen had magic of his own and was using it to injure those around him. Kristie urged Amy and the boys back farther in order to avoid what she could only describe as falling stars.

So engrossed was she, that at first, she didn't hear another growl coming from her right. When she finally did notice, the ghostly white minion of Omen was only eight feet away. It was the one Ileeya had put to sleep with her spell. The spell must have worn off. Kristie quickly turned to the wolf and pulled Amy behind her, desperately trying to figure out what to do. "HAH! GET!" She was told once that to get a wolf in Elwynn Forest to leave you alone, you needed to be loud and dominate. Unfortunately, this was not a mere wild wolf. He had a bit more intelligence than his distant cousins.

The minion's response was only the laying back of his ears along with a snarl and growl. The two boys near her hadn't noticed this new threat. They were still gaping at Omen. "Amy!" She hated this option; It would take Amy out of one danger, only to put her in another. But she felt there was no other choice. "Run to Jelune! Stay beside him and move when he moves at all times! Go!" Amy seemed to hesitate at first, but when Kristie yelled at her to go, she took off towards the hunter.

Now Kristie had only Adorei and the boys to worry about. The boys could at least run to safety. When the wolf saw Amy take off, he started to chase after her, but found himself distracted by another yell from Kristie. With a growl, he changed his course and pounced towards the woman and infant instead. Kristie turned her back to the wolf with the intent of keeping it from hurting Adorei.

Luckily, she had done it at just the right time that her shoulder smacked into the wolf's head and forepaws, knocking him to the side, stunned that he had been thwarted. It took a moment for her to realize she was unharmed, but in that moment, she saw the rocket launcher that had been dropped on the ground by Dormir when he went to fight Omen. Lurching forward, she could hear the wolf renewing his attack.

Kristie reached down and scooped up a launcher in one hand just as the wolf pounced again. She felt herself pushed to the ground. It took all her strength to keep herself from crushing Adorei between herself and the ground. She hunched her shoulders to keep the wolf from crushing her neck with its jaws as one finger found the launcher's trigger and shot off a rocket. The firework fizzled into the ground nearby as Kristie had no opportunity to aim it at the minion. But the loud bang startled the wolf enough to make it shy away a few yards before looking back to see what had made the loud noise.

Kristie turned around on the ground and pointed the rocket launcher at the wolf who was getting ready to attack again. The noise of the fizzled firework drew the attention of Kirlothenin. Seeing his daughter in danger, he abandoned the fight against Omen. At this time as well, Amy had reached Jelune who turned to see why the child had come to him. He grabbed her and pulled her out of the path of a falling star. Afterward, he turned to see the wolf charging Kristie on the ground with his niece!

Kristie fired the rocket launcher at the wolf. But she was no hunter, or fighter for that matter. The firework launched just off to the side of the minion. It shied away for a second but quickly renewed its attack and jumped towards the human. It found its attack cut short when ice suddenly formed around its paws and rooted it to the ground. The minion immediately began to gnaw at the ice to free itself, oblivious of the blood elf that had appeared between itself and its intended victim.

This mistake was its end as Kirlothenin pelted it with arcane bolts, followed by a fireball. The creature died as the blood elf turned to Kristie and Adorei. He helped the human woman up, taking his daughter from her and checking the infant to make sure she was okay. Satisfied he turned his attention back to Omen who was now retreating back to the lake.

Enough people had joined by now to defeat the demigod. As he disappeared into the lake, cheers from the fighters arose. Adam, Dormir, Jelune, and Amy returned to where Kirlothenin, Kristie, and Adorei stood. Kristie had skinned her elbows, hands, and arms from when the wolf had pounced on her. Kirlothenin noticed this and glanced at Adorei for a moment before looking into her eyes. He gave a nod of appreciation for her attempts to keep his daughter safe.

* * *

><p><em><span>Author's Note<span>: Lazuli, of what sacrilege do you speak? Break up Ileeya and Kirlothenin? Outrageous! ;P Don't worry. The original pairings will stay the same. I only put night elf/human in there as the main characters because it wouldn't let me put night elf/blood elf/human as the main characters. :) I didn't really think it meant 'pairings' so much as who the main characters were. But if it seems confusing, I will put it back to night elf/blood elf._


	4. Chapter 4

"They're not here."

"Obviously." Jerold backed away from the dark window. "They'll be back."

"And you know this...how?" Lara followed him.

Jerold shot her a passive look. "They have to return sometime. And when they do..."

"...They'll have a party, rejoicing in seeing us come to take them away?" Lara's sarcasm was constantly getting the better of her. She couldn't help it. This curse of undeath held no joy for her except to bring displeasure to others...especially the living. As the saying goes, 'Misery loves company.'

Jerold was used to her snarky attitude. "Something like that, my dear." He moved back into the shadows. "For now, we wait."

**...**

"There. That should do it." Ileeya let go of Kristie's newly healed arms. The human looked at her hands, glad to be free of any more injuries. She thanked the druid as Adam eyed Kirlothenin. Part of him knew he should thank the elf for helping Kristie. Another part of him figured the elf was probably just trying to save his daughter. Would he have helped if Kristie hadn't been holding his daughter? He wasn't sure.

Seeing everyone distracted with the healing, the two boys who had started it all began to quietly slip away. They didn't get very far as roots came up out of the ground, surrounding them and preventing them from going anywhere. "Just where do you think you're going?" Dormir turned and approached the troublesome teens. Both of them immediately began to blabber apologies to the elder druid. One even tried to make the excuse that he hadn't believed the stories of Omen to be true.

"Well, now you know that they _are_ true and I'm sure you will know better in the future...especially after you've faced the authorities...which I am one of. You're very lucky that we were here. You would have been killed." He canceled the roots spell and took each boy by the arm. With a turn of his head, he told Ileeya, "Good job on the heals, Daughter. I'll meet you back home after my duty here is done." He then led the boys off towards Nighthaven.

Amy held Kristie's hand, feeling a bit more serious than she had all day. The monster in the lake scared her. She didn't think she would ever go swimming in a lake again. Jelune knelt down before her. "You were very brave to run to me. But it was the best option. I'm proud of you for facing your fears." The praise from the night elf helped cheer Amy up a little.

Adam picked her up. "Hey! You did great, kiddo! I saw you. It's nice to see those defensive moves I taught you put to good use." He mussed her hair and she squirmed in his arms. Adam then got a feral grin on his face and began to tickle her in his arms. Amy laughed and struggled in his arms to get away. He released her, then suggested they have a go at Kristie.

With a laugh, Kristie backed up. "Oh no you don't!" But she allowed Amy to catch and tickle her anyhow, knowing that they had successfully diverted Amy from dwelling on the earlier danger.

Kirlothenin watched them, slightly amused. Ileeya laughed next to him and he turned his head to look at her. When was the last time he heard her laugh...if ever? He pondered this as the group made the slow walk west around the lake towards the Whitestar home. Kristie stepped up next to him as they walked, much to Adam's chagrin.

"Kirlothenin, thank you for your help back there."

The blood elf glanced sideways at her. "You don't know much about fighting, do you?"

A part of her felt offended, while her realistic side knew what he said was true. She was the only one in this group who didn't know how to fight very well. Kristie kept her eyes on the path ahead of them as she responded. "Adam has taught me a few defensive moves, but other than that, no. I've never been interested in violence."

"Violence is unavoidable sometimes."

"I know." She sighed. "Believe me, I know." She went silent, leaving him to ponder what exactly she meant by that comment. But he didn't have a chance to ask as she fell back to walk with Adam once again.

He, in turn, joined Ileeya. They approached the path that led to their house and Kirlothenin paused when he saw a well-dressed human waiting there. He glanced at Ileeya to see if she knew him. A slight shake of her head was her answer. He then turned to look at Adam and Kristie to see if they knew him. Apparently, they did. And by the look of disdain on Adam's face, it was someone they did not like.

Kirlothenin gave Adorei to Ileeya as he heard Kristie ask Amy to wait inside the house. Ileeya and Jelune went with her. The blood elf stayed off to the side to silently observe. To his surprise, Adam walked right past the man without saying a word.

Kristie however, stopped, giving only the briefest of curtsies before speaking. "What are you doing here?"

"You haven't talked to him, yet?"

"I haven't had a chance. We've been busy."

"Yes, I saw the fight with that...thing." He looked in the direction of where they had come from.

Kristie looked incredulous. "You were following us?"

"As you see."

She narrowed her eyes. "That could be considered stalking."

"I have nothing to worry about, considering the company you are keeping." The older human glanced in Kirlothenin's direction. The blood elf did not respond other than to look right back at him.

Kristie followed the man's gaze and gnawed at her lower lip. Was he implying something? She had never really understood the politics of the different factions. Would they get in trouble for merely associating with a blood elf? "That's none of your business, Lord Aron. He's neutral." She had no idea exactly what his affiliation was, but had assumed, or rather hoped, that he was neutral considering his situation and where he was living.

"You know, I can speak for myself." Kirlothenin finally joined in, stepping up to the two humans.

Lord Aron glared at him. "We weren't talking to you."

"No. You were talking _about_ me, and giving a veiled threat to a friend."

Kristie threw him a look. Friend? Did he consider them friends already? Or was he just referring to her as Ileeya's friend?

"Look." Lord Aron turned to Kristie again, ignoring the elf. "I just want to talk to my son. And I'm running out of patience."

Kirlothenin glanced at Kristie. So that's who this man was. He wondered what Adam's father had done to earn such hatred from his son. "Would you condemn your own son for an accidental affiliation with a blood elf, just so you can talk to him?" He asked Lord Aron.

The man considered the elf's words carefully. "Maybe. As I said, I'm tired of standing back and waiting for him to get over the past."

"And you think threats will get him to talk to you?" Kristie looked incredulous. Lord Aron remained silent. She sighed. "Look...come inside...but stay just inside the door. I'll see if I can talk to him." She moved forward, then stopped and turned to look at him. "I'm only doing this because I feel it's high time the both of you get this confrontation out of your systems. Don't you dare start any trouble. I'm sure Kirlothenin here as well as Jelune and Ileeya will have no problem throwing you out of their house!" She gave a quick glance to Kirlothenin who only nodded his head once in agreement.

"I will be a gentleman, as always." Lord Aron followed her into the house. He didn't like the blood elf walking behind him, but accepted it as long as he could finally speak to Adam.

**…**

"Baros Alexston, I presume?"

Baros looked up from his desk at what was obviously a man of noble birth, though he had never met this one. "Yes? Can I help you with something?" He glanced at the leather outfit the man wore, and kept himself from frowning. He looked like he could be a rogue, though he'd never seen one dressed so stylishly.

The white-haired man stepped forward. "You can. I am in need of a skilled architect, such as yourself."

Baros stood, pulling down on his vest as he did so. "And what is the job for?" He tried to determine just who this gentleman was.

"I wish to make some renovations on my mansion. I'm willing to pay very well for your services."

Alexston gave a slight sigh as he sat back down. "Sorry, but I'm not interested. I've got too many things to do here as it is without having to go stroke the e-peen of some noble wanting his mansion to look just that much better."

The man pulled out a rather large coin purse and set it on the desk. "I'll settle for only the best. And I like the work I've seen here, Mr. Alexston." He opened the bag to reveal it full of gold coins. "This is only my retainer fee. As I said, I'm willing to pay quite handsomely for your services."

Baros stood once more, hesitating for only a moment before reaching for the bag. He closed it as he picked it up and handed it back to the noble. "As I said, I'm not interested. There are plenty of other architects just as good as I am if not better. Try Ironforge. The dwarves are very good at this craft."

The noble frowned. "I...don't care for their style. As I said, I like yours." He gave a dramatic sigh as he deftly weaved a gold coin back and forth through his fingers. "Are you sure you won't agree?"

Baros narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered the man in front of him. Something was telling him that this was trouble brewing. "I'm sorry, sir. But I'm afraid I cannot accept. I have too many projects to get through as it is. Good day."

The man put the coin away and held out his hand to shake the architects hand. "Perhaps another time, then. Good day." With a prompt turn, he walked proudly out the door.

Baros watched the doorway where the man had left for a few more minutes, then shook his head and sat back down to get back to work.

Unseen by him, Jackson stealthed out of the office to send a report to headquarters on the meeting.

**...**

"What's he doing in here!" Adam's voice growled from across the room.

Kristie ignored his question for the moment. "Where's Ileeya?"

"Upstairs with Adorei." Jelune answered her.

"Amy? Please go tell Ileeya that she needs you for awhile."

Amy stood up and looked at the adults around her. "You're gonna have a fight, aren't you?" No one answered her. She frowned, but did as she was told.

Kirlothenin closed the front door as Kristie waited until Amy was upstairs before speaking again. "I'm not going to be a go-between for you two." She looked at Lord Aron. "Have your say and begone." She then looked at Adam. "I'm asking you to listen, just this once, Adam. You don't have to say anything. But if you do..." She glanced to where Amy had disappeared. "...just keep your voices down."

"I have nothing to say to him."

"Adam..." Lord Aron took a steps forward, then paused when his son glared at him and turned his back on him. He decided to just go ahead with the hard part. "He knew what he was getting into." He saw Adam's fists clinch and quickly changed tactics. "Go ahead." Adam's head turned slightly in confusion. "Hit me. It's what you really wanted to do for the past fourteen years." To his surprise, Adam unclenched his fists and turned around.

"No. For the past fourteen years, I wanted you and Ruben to trade places!" His face wore a cold mask. "Ruben was a better parent to me than you _ever_ were!" Lord Aron's face betrayed his surprise at this statement, but he quickly covered it up. He wasn't sure just how to respond to this, so he remained silent.

Adam turned his back on his father once more, having nothing else to say to him. As more and more minutes passed with only silence, Kristie moved to sit down next to Jelune on the couch. This was going to take some time, it seemed. Should she say something to get them talking? Should she just ask Lord Aron to leave? She glanced at Adam, wondering how angry he was with her right now? Kristie closed her eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. She sat back, resting on the couch with her eyes closed and waited for one of them to speak.

Kirlothenin made himself busy in the open kitchen where he could keep an eye on the two humans. They had been quiet for awhile now. He dried a dish he had just washed and glanced towards Kristie. Was she asleep? How could she sleep now? Jelune, next to her, gave a great yawn. It seems the tiredness was catching. Now Adam was even yawning. Kirlothenin felt the urge himself, but was able to stave it off for now.

Something in the back of his mind began to tingle as though he felt he should be concerned about something. Yes. He had to be concerned about this older human in his home. He looked at Jelune who was now asleep as well. The tingling sensation began to grow. The human falling asleep, he could understand. Jelune? Kirlothenin threw a cautious look at Lord Aron. Is he making the others in the house fall asleep somehow? No. He was yawning now as well. In fact, he was sitting down in a chair.

The blood elf narrowed his eyes as the tingle bloomed into full alarm bells. He quickly left the kitchen and jogged up the stairs, looking into Ileeya's bedroom. Ileeya was asleep in a rocking chair, Adorei was on her lap. Amy was laying on her stomach on the bed. Her head rested on her arms crossed in front of her. Both children were asleep. Kirlothenin sniffed the air, trying to determine if there was anything different in the scent. But he could not distinguish anything. Feeling his eyelids grow heavy, Kirlothenin shook his head and quickly made his way back downstairs to warn Adam before he fell asleep.

It was too late. The only one now awake was Kirlothenin. His movements slowed drastically as he tried to get to the door. He wasn't going to make it. Instead he began the teleport spell to get himself out of the house. He made it half way through the spell before collapsing on the floor.

A few minutes later, the back door opened and Jerold entered, holding a flask with an invisible gas inside it. The top of the flask had a thin rubber hose attached to it. "See, my dear? Not a single fight to be had."

Lara followed him, glad that undead did not have to worry about such fallible things as breathing. "No. Although it would have been interesting to watch those two humans fight. You could have waited until after the argument ended."

"Perhaps." He looked at her cowled head, wishing she would move it back so that he could see more of her facial expression, other than just the lower half of her face. "Perhaps they'll entertain you further when they wake up. Let us get them in their cells before they do, hm?"

He moved upstairs as she created her portal. He picked up the infant and took her downstairs, leaving her on the floor in front of the couch. He then brought the human child down, and finally Ileeya. The two picked up Jelune first as he was the heaviest one there. They pushed him into the portal where Jerold's assistant waited on the other side to help pull him through. After everyone had been sent through the portal, Jerold and Lara went through, leaving the house empty with the only exception being Jelune's large cat.


	5. Chapter 5

Ileeya rolled to her side with a groan. Her breasts felt hard and engorged with milk. When was the last time Adorei nursed? She usually woke up every two to three hours to nurse. As Ileeya moved, however, she slowly came to realize that instead of her warm soft bed, she was on a hard stone floor. She opened her eyes and sat up quickly, drawing in a short gasp.

She was in a cell! One wall was all stone with no window. The other three sides of her cell were made up of bars. Her mind immediately went to Adorei and she quickly looked around for her daughter. The infant lay on a pile of hay, still wrapped in her blanket. She picked Adorei up to make sure she was okay. The infant began to stir, seeking nutrition. Ileeya complied, cradling her in one arm and opening her tunic so Adorei could nurse. She used the blanket to cover herself for modesty's sake.

That done, she finally glanced at the other occupant of her cell, Kristie. Moving next to the human, she gently shook her. "Kristie? Wake up." She didn't wait for the human to move, though. There were three other cells in this room. She glanced in each one to discover Jelune and the human stranger two cells to her left. Amy was in the cell between them. And in the remaining cell to her right, closest to the door of the room, was Kirlothenin and Adam.

Ileeya moved over to Kirlothenin's cell and reached her arm through the bars. She couldn't reach him. "Kir? Kir, wake up! Adam!" She could hear Kristie stir behind her, but ignored her for now. She looked over to where her foster brother lay and called out, "Jelune! Wake up!"

"Wha-? Where-? Ugh! What is that stench?" The voice belonged to Kristie. Ileeya glanced at her, but could only shake her head. Their situation had finally sunk in and she now desperately tried to suppress feelings of growing panic. Adorei fussed and Ileeya mechanically lifted her to her shoulder and patted her back until she burped. She then cradled the infant again to let her nurse on the other side.

A rattle of chains could be heard as Kirlothenin moved. Ileeya saw that he had shackles on his wrists with a chain connecting them. She briefly wondered why only he wore them. But she didn't have time to ponder this as the blood elf sat up. Kirlothenin swore in Thalassian as he saw his surroundings. He looked around and upon seeing Ileeya and Adorei, stood and moved over to them. "Are you okay?"

"I think so. Kir, what's going on? How did we get here? And why?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. All I know is there must have been a sleeping gas in the house. Obviously, I discovered this too late." He scowled at himself.

As each person woke up, the questions were repeated. Who did this? Why? Where were they? No one had any answers. Kirlothenin discovered quickly that he could not create a portal to escape, in fact, he could not perform any magic at all. At first he thought it was because of the shackles he wore. They had some sort of inscriptions carved into them. Yet, Ileeya could not perform her magic either. There must be magic prevention wards up inside this room.

He glanced at his cellmate. Adam's wrists were tied with a leather strap. Kirlothenin tried to untie it, but some sort of hard substance covered the knot. He glanced at the others in the room. Jelune was pacing his cell. Lord Aron was leaning back against the wall, brooding. Kristie was holding a scared Amy as best she could through the cell bars. Ileeya held Adorei. No one else was restrained in any way other then he and Adam. This, he concluded, meant that something special was planned for them. But what?

About an hour after they had awoken, steps could be heard approaching the door to the room with the cells in it. They all looked in that direction as they heard locks clicking open. The stench in the room suddenly grew as an undead forsaken entered the room.

"What is the meaning of this!" Lord Aron moved to the front of his cell in anger. "I demand you let us go!" No one else spoke. The others in the cells were either too frightened, or were sizing up the forsaken. The undead's face was impassive as he ignored the human's outburst. He merely stood there observing them as much as they observed him. He said nothing as he waited.

It was Ileeya who finally spoke. "By Elune!" Her voice was whispered, but spoke volumes as she finally recognized him. "Kir!" She backed up against the wall and close to the bars next to his cell. She held Adorei close to her, just barely conscious enough to keep from smothering her child.

"Ah, finally." The undead man spoke in common. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten me, my dear." He slowly approached her cell and noticed the human female in the cell with her move in front of the night elf, eyeing him with a mix of fear and apprehensiveness. With an inward smile, he merely took a couple of steps towards the cell with the little girl and the human female abandoned the night elf to protect the child. "Stay," he commanded her before moving back to face the night elf again.

"What do you want, Forsaken?" Jerold turned to face the angry face of the blood elf. The rogue stood next to him with just as angry an expression.

"Want?" He pointed towards Ileeya. "I have what I want- What I've wanted for the past year and a half ...no thanks to you two."

The rogue seemed to finally recognize him. "The auction..."

Jerold nodded his head once. "My reputation and finances were ruined because of your little con." He moved closer to their cell, but stayed just out of arms reach. "Oh was I the naive one. You had it all set up well, didn't you? Pretend to sell the slave, take the money, and steal the slave back to pull on someone else!"

"That's not-"

"Silence!" Jerold did not raise his voice. But the vehemence in his tone convinced the blood elf to say nothing more for now. "I had to pay the apothecary back from my own funds. He had to find another subject for his experiments." He found himself feeling oddly satisfied at the shudder the female night elf gave at this bit of information. He gave a smile, stretching the dead skin of his face as far as he dared. "In an hour, my associate will arrive and take you two," he pointed to the blood elf and the rogue, "to the apothecary to suffer the fate she would have."

"Then let her go! Let the others go if we are all you need!" The blood elf's plea amused Jerold to a degree. Oh how he must be suffering! Let him suffer more.

"Because you asked so nicely...no." He moved back in front of the female's cell and looked directly at the night elf. "I paid for her. She is my property. And as the infant is hers, so too is it mine." He didn't even flinch when the blood elf rushed to the bars of the cell with a growl.

"I'll pay you back your gold!"

"It's too late. I've lost more than just gold when it comes to her." He kept his voice calm and spoke matter-of-factly. "She's not for sale. I will never sell her."

"But the others don't belong to you! Let them go at least!" This time it was the rogue pleading for his friends safety.

"It was their own fault for associating with traitors such as yourself and I'll have no more discussion on the matter. They are a source of income for me...or research," he waved his skeletal hand carelessly, "whatever the case may be."

Jerold moved to the door of the room and paused to look back at them. "You have one hour to say your goodbyes." He left the room, locking the door behind him.

**…**

Jackson hesitated for only a second before knocking on the door ahead of him. All agents knew not to disturb Master Shaw at home unless it was an emergency. He figured he was about to end his career with this news, but he also knew he would be worse off if he did _not_ inform Shaw right away. He raised his fist and rapped on the door.

A muffled voice inside the home told him to wait a moment. After a minute, Shaw opened the door. His hair dripped water and a towel hung around his neck. He wore only a pair of cloth lounging pants. He held his scabbard with a sword in his hand as he answered the door. Jackson surmised he was in the middle of a bath before his interruption. Mathias frowned. "What is it Jackson?"

"He's missing, sir." Jackson shifted under Shaw's narrowed gaze, but he did not retreat as much as he wanted to. "I arrived this morning to relieve Trenton and found him unconscious at his post. I immediately entered the residence to find Mrs. Alexston fixing breakfast. She told me that he had left for work early, but when I checked his office, the agent watching the office there said he hadn't shown up."

Shaw let out a curse. "I knew he'd try something! That man just doesn't know the meaning of the word 'no'." Shaw whipped the towel from around his neck and rubbed it in his hair to dry it some more. He stopped and looked at the waiting Jackson. "What about Kristie Alexston?"

Jackson shook his head. "I haven't seen her at all on this assignment."

Shaw pursed his lips for a moment, then nodded his head. "I'll find out about her from another source. Go back to the Alexston home and stay with Elenor. And Jackson..." He paused to make sure the agent had his full attention. "If anything happens to her, you'll be demoted back to fourth finger, possibly kicked out of the guild, got it?"

Jackson nodded his head and turned quickly to head back to the Alexston home. Shaw shut the door and stood there for a moment. "If you keep listening in on official conversations like this, I may have to promote you, just so you don't overhear something you don't have clearance for."

Maggie Strome unstealthed behind him. Her own hair was wet, but she was more fully clothed than Shaw. "I'm not here because I'm looking for promotion, Shaw."

He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "If I thought you were, you wouldn't be here, Strome."

Maggie couldn't help but smile, but only for a moment as she recalled what had interrupted them in the first place. She could only assume the missing person was Baros. Why he was missing, she had no idea. But she knew she could answer one question at least. "Adam said that he, Kristie, and Amy may stay the night in Moonglade." She filled him in without being asked.

"Go check on them. Make sure they are safe." He went to the bedroom where he picked up her leather arm band off his bed and tossed it to her before changing into his gear.

She put her arm band on, recalling with satisfaction how quickly the band had come off last night. She didn't dwell on it, though. Now was a time for business, not pleasure. "What are you going to do?"

"Go after him. What else?" He buckled his scabbards into place, quickly pulling out the short swords and checking them before putting them back. He told Maggie where he was going and to follow after she had made sure the others were safe.

"What does Jorach want with him?" She couldn't imagine what Lord Jorach would want with Baros.

"Ego. That's all."

"So there's no danger to him?"

Mathias paused. "Knowing Baros, maybe. If he keeps his mouth shut, he'll be fine. If he shoots it off..."

Maggie could well imagine what would happen. "Meet you there, then." She turned towards Shaw's window, not wanting to leave by the front door. Their 'one-night stands' have lasted longer than expected. And the longer it went on, the more chance there was that others would find out. Neither one of them wanted to consider their relationship as anything more than a matter of convenience. In fact, Maggie was starting to grow concerned that she may be growing too comfortable with him.

As she climbed out the window in her ghosted form, she snuck a glance back at him. He had paused in his movements to stare at the window she was climbing through. Was he getting too comfortable as well? Maggie frowned and climbed to the roof where she made her way to the the gates of Stormwind. She scolded herself for even thinking such a question. It meant she cared about what he thought...which was a dangerous path towards more of a possible permanent relationship. She wasn't ready for that. Was he?

**…**

Lara and Jerold had waited in the laboratory. The gas they had put into the house had been strong enough to force the prisoners to sleep for the whole night. As they had waited, Lara had tried to convince Jerold to let her take the other human male. She had been hoping for them to argue again. But he had known this and shook his head. "Perhaps the elf and rogue will entertain you enough with their own misery on the journey, my dear. I still have not decided what to do with the rest. Perhaps I'll sell one or two. Let Faranell know that I may have other specimens if he has the gold."

She went down with him to check on the prisoners, but had stayed outside the room, out of sight. Lara preferred to avoid the living, opting to move among them only when she had to. Now, as Jerold returned from the prison room, Lara asked him, "Why did you bother to let them say goodbye?" They returned to the laboratory where Lara randomly picked up different vials and inspected them. She just wanted to go and get this job over with.

"The living are sentimental, Lara. They will worry themselves and mourn for their lost loved ones, wondering just what is going to happen to them." He took a vial from her that she had just picked up. "That's acidic, my dear." He put it down and moved on to find another vial he had been looking for.

She had fallen silent as she tended to do when thinking about the living. A slight scowl formed on her face. The living hate the forsaken. Even members of the Horde. Perhaps not the tauren, though. But they only seem to feel pity for the forsaken. She didn't want pity. She didn't want anything from the living, other than their pain. Giving them pain and misery was all she had to live for. She, like many others of the forsaken including Jerold, could not remember her past. So, there was no past for her to even live for. Some regained their memory, but most didn't care enough to even try.

It mattered not. She stood up when the hour chimed on Jerold's goblin-made clock. "Let's go." She was tired of dwelling on...nothing.

Jerold led the way back down the stairs, but did not open the door to the prison room. Instead, he turned and slid open another door to the right. He ignored the small spiders and the gray rats that were quickly skittering out of the light of the doorway. It opened into a tunnel where a cage on wheels sat waiting. A skeletal horse stamped it's hoof as if impatient to begin it's journey. He went to the small cage and opened the door in preparation of its occupants.

After that was done, he went back to the prison room and unlocked the door. Inside he observed the rogue and human female clasping hands. She was stiff with red-rimmed eyes from crying. The human girl was sitting near the night elf hunter with her arms resting on her knees, her head down. The blood elf stood stone-faced, staring at him. Jerold gave him no mind. The hunter and other human male were trying to comfort the little girl, he assumed.

Observations done, he spoke. "Time to go." He pulled out the keys to the cell, knowing they would put up a fight. He was prepared. Jerold unlocked and opened the cell door. But the two occupants stood towards the back with determined looks on their faces.

"If you want us, come get us!" It was the rogue who spoke.

The forsaken smiled to himself. _That_ old trick. "I may be dead, but my brain still works. You seek to overpower me within the cell." He moved away from the cell, certain that if they tried to run, Lara would stop them easily enough. "You will exit the cell." His voice remained calm and confident. Jerold moved two cells over to stand in front of the cell with the little girl. She had been separated from the others for reasons such as this.

The mage and rogue hadn't moved. "Well if you don't come out, perhaps I'll send this one instead." He took out his keys to open the girls cell door as he heard a quick shuffling of feet of both the elf and man rushing to the girls aid. He didn't even look at them. His yellow orbs for eyes just watched the fear wash over the little girl's face. The shuffling stopped as Lara's frost nova spell immobilized them.

Jerold finally turned to them with a sneer. "Sentimental living creatures!" He pulled out the vial he had found earlier and approached, still staying out of their reach. The vial had a pale yellow color to it. It wasn't liquid inside, but a gas of some sort. He uncorked the tube and passed it close to the blood elf and human, risking their grabbing him. The human was able to grab his clothes, but that was all before his face became blank and he just stood there limply, along with the blood elf.

"What did you do to them?" The human female had moved to the front of her cell, trying to reach out to the rogue.

Jerold didn't even look at her. "The effect is temporary, I assure you. The apothecary I'm sending them to prefers them whole and healthy before he starts his experiments."

"Don't do this to them. Please."

The forsaken finally looked at the female. He took a step towards her, and faster than she may have expected, reached out and grabbed her wrist through the bars. He felt her try to pull away, but his grip was too strong. He pulled her arm through the cell bars until she was forced to press herself up against the bars. At this point he stopped, knowing his time was short before the effects of the gas wore off. He moved his face close to hers, seeing the revulsion in her expression from the smell of his rotting flesh. "I'll do as I damn well please." He could see the shudder run through her and let her go.

He then motioned for Lara to help him and the two escorted first the blood elf, then the human rogue to the small cage in the tunnel. It was just tall enough for them to sit up in, but not stand in at all. Once inside, Lara closed and locked the cage door. She moved to the skeletal head of the horse and with a click of her tongue, urged it to move forward.

Jerold watched them leave with some satisfaction, knowing that only pain and torture awaited those two. He closed the side door and waited for a moment before returning to the prison room. After all, there were other prisoners who needed his attention now.


	6. Chapter 6

"What the fel is going on here?" Baros Alexston had awoken in a strange room. The last thing he remembered was leaving his home and walking towards City Hall. Then...he woke up here. Baros scratched his head as he sat on the edge of the bed. His mouth felt as though he had eaten something fuzzy and it left all the fuzz on his tongue.

Standing up, he glanced around the room. It looked like a standard guest room, he supposed. He approached the door and put his ear to it. Baros had no idea what to listen for and then decided not to bother. He wasn't an SI:7 agent. Why act like one? He reached for the door knob and slowly turned it. It wasn't locked. Baros opened the door and stepped into a hallway.

A bored-looking man stood to his left. "You're awake. Good." He sounded cordial, but irritated at the same time. "I've been asked to escort you to the dining room when you woke up. Follow me."

Baros frowned at the man. He was dressed in the familiar leathers that rogues usually wore. "I'll do no such thing! Where am I?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest. The rogue, who had already started to walk away, stopped, then slowly turned back toward Baros with a hard expression on his face. "I was told to escort you, not play twenty questions, Mr. Alexston. You want answers? Then follow me!"

Baros saw that he had little choice but to follow. However, that didn't stop him from speaking his mind. "Fine. I should have known that some no-name lackey wouldn't be able to answer a simple question."

The rogue stopped again and slowly unsheathed a dagger. In a flash, he had turned around and closed the short distance between them. His dagger-tip pressed against Baros' throat, but didn't break the skin. "Because I respect our host, I'm going to let that slide just this once! But if you _ever_ speak to me that way again, expect a knife in your back as soon as you leave here!"

Baros wisely fell silent. But he noted to himself that the rogue had let slip some information. Whoever brought him here seemed to consider him a guest, which meant he could possibly leave at some point ...he hoped anyhow.

The rogue backed away and sheathed his dagger, once more leading Baros through the corridor. After a few twists and turns, and a trip down two staircases, they finally arrived in a dining room where lunch was being set out. At the head of the table was a man with white hair.

Baros frowned as he recognized him. "You!" He stepped around the lackey rogue and towards the man he had seen in his office yesterday.

"Ah, Mr. Alexston. I'm so glad you accepted my invitation to visit my manor." The man stood and approached Baros.

"I told you no, Mr. ...uh..." He realized the man had never given his name.

"Call me Lord Jorach. May I call you Baros?"

"It doesn't matter what you call me! I told you no, and I meant it!" Baros turned towards the door, only to find the lackey rogue blocking the way with a smirk on his face. "Jorach, tell your...servant to get outta my way!" He ignored lackey-rogue's glare.

"I'm afraid I won't do that Mr. Alexston. You see, I don't like to take no for an answer."

Baros turned to look at him once more, this time he studied the man before speaking. "Do you mean to tell me that you won't let me leave until I agree to do this job for you?"

"Something like that. Come. Join me for lunch and we'll discuss your situation."

Baros slowly approached the table, and sat in the seat that a servant had pulled out for him. But he didn't touch the food they had brought.

Lord Jorach chuckled at the architect's reticence to eat. "Go ahead. The food is delicious. I personally hired the chef. And as you know, I'll only hire the best."

"Did you convince him the same way you're trying to convince me to work for you? I wouldn't be surprised if the food was poisoned." Baros sneered.

"I assure you, the food is not poisoned. And if Chef Garnith heard you say such a thing, he'd probably try to knock you on the head with a rolling pin." Lord Jorach smiled amiably and took a bite of his food as though to prove his point. "And he was much easier to hire than you. I simply matched what he wanted for his wages, and then added ten percent as a bonus once a month. He was quite happy to join my staff."

"Yeah? Is _he_ allowed to leave here?"

"Of course. He does his job. In fact, he went home for a two week vacation, just last month. Paid by me. I treat those who work for me well."

Baros thought about this for a moment, then reached for the glass of water to drink. He still had that fuzzy feel to his mouth and hoped to wash it away. It was at this point that he realized that he was hungry. He considered his situation for a moment then decided he might as well go ahead and eat the food. But in his mind, he was quite adamant about refusing this job. The man couldn't hold him here forever.

As they ate, Lord Jorach tried to engage Baros in idle conversation, but Baros would nothing of it. So the rest of the meal was eaten in silence. As soon as it was done, Baros stood up. "Well, I thought about your offer, Jorach, and my answer is still no. So, I'll just be on my way."

"I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Alexston. It seems you'll need some more convincing." He stood up as well. "I'll have my personal tailor see you in a short while. It seems you were in such a hurry to visit me, that you had completely forgotten to pack. I have some old clothes I can let you borrow, and Venaay can sew them up to fit you just right. We can't have you going around wearing the same clothes during your stay here."

Baros got the message loud and clear. He wasn't going anywhere until he agreed to do the job. The old man was stubborn, he'd give him that. But Baros was just as stubborn, if not more so. "You can't keep me here, Jorach. I've got friends in high places. They'll come looking for me."

"You mean like Mathias Shaw, Leader of SI:7?" Lord Jorach's ice-blue eyes sparkled as though he had been expecting the subject of Shaw to come up. "He and I had a nice conversation about you in his office before I approached you."

Baros couldn't hide his shocked look. "You mean he sent you to me?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Baros was torn. He couldn't believe Shaw would betray him, like this. Not after... Baros shook his head. No. This Lord Jorach is a manipulator. He's twisting things so they would work in his favor. Baros recomposed himself. "He'll come after me."

"So sure, are you?"

"Yes."

Lord Jorach paused a moment at the architect's confidence in Shaw. Now he had to wonder why. Still, he dismissed the thought for now. It was something to ponder another time. "I suppose I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up. However, he has no jurisdiction here."

"I'm an upstanding Stormwind citizen! His jurisdiction is where I am!"

The white-haired man only smiled. "Not. Here." He then headed towards the door, pausing before exiting. "I'm afraid leisure time is over for me." He nodded towards the lackey rogue. "Stavron here will be your bodyguard for today. I'm afraid the others here are not always...in the best of manners."

"Hrumph! Some bodyguard. He doesn't like me- threatened me with his knife"

"Oh?" Lord Jorach turned to Stavron with a question in his eyes.

Stavron only shrugged. "He insulted me." He then glared at Baros. "And it's called a dagger."

Baros only shrugged. "Knife, dagger...all the same to me." Stavron growled. "See? He doesn't like me. Perhaps you can provide another bodyguard...preferably not a rogue."

Lord Jorach and Stavron shared a look, then the older man chuckled. "Mathias warned me that you didn't like our kind." He was highly amused. "I'm afraid you're just going to have to accept Stavron."

Baros frowned. "What do you mean, your kind?"

"Rogues, Mr. Alexston. We are all rogues here. You are in the home of the Assassin's League. I am their leader." He turned to Stavron. "Hold your temper as best you can. I don't want my guest harmed. But," here he glanced at Baros. "You may use whatever means you have to keep him from leaving ...not that he would want to. It's dangerous out there for a man without weapons, armor, or the skill to use them."

He then turned to leave, but paused one last time as he looked over his shoulder. "By the way, welcome to Ravenholdt Manor, Mr. Alexston." He then left.

Baros could only stand there for a moment as he digested this new information. Rogues. He was surrounded by rogues. Finally, he stepped out of the dining hall. "If I get out of this alive," he muttered to himself, "I'm gonna kill Shaw!"

**…**

Ileeya was glad that Adorei was asleep. She put the infant down in the small pile of hay in the corner of the cell. Sitting down next to her daughter, she covered her face with her hands. "_Don't__ let__ your __fears __rule __you._" That's what Kirlothenin's parting words were. He hadn't shown any emotion. Almost from the moment he had woken up, and after he had made sure she was all right, he had been distant and stone-faced. She couldn't read him or tell what he had been thinking. He almost reminded her of what he was like the first time she had met him.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Kristie giving her a concerned look. Ileeya just shook her head before the human went to hold Amy, who was crying. How are they going to get out of this? How were Kirlothenin and Adam going to get out of their predicament? Ileeya's mind went to her father. Surely by now he knew that they were missing. He had found her before. Could he do so again?

"Well now, that messy business is done and over with. I should get a good amount of gold for those two."

Ileeya's head popped up and she glared at the forsaken man. He entered the empty cell that Kirlothenin and Adam had occupied and took a closer look through the bars at Ileeya. She picked up Adorei and backed away from that side of her cell.

"Come back, elf. I want to see my goods."

Ileeya shook her head as she heard Jelune growl at him. The undead man just stood there, watching her for a few minutes. She began to squirm under his gaze. _Don't __let __your __fears __rule__ you_. Ileeya remembered Kirlothenin's words and forced herself to turn away from the forsaken, trying hard to ignore him. The shuffling of feet told her that he was moving. She stole a quick glance towards him to see where he was going.

He was no longer looking at her. Instead, he went to a long table that lined the opposite wall to the cells. Various tubes and beakers were scattered across the top. Ropes hung from the ceiling and against the wall above the table. Some cloths rested on one end. She moved slightly as she watched him. His back was to them. What was he doing? After a few minutes, he turned back around, holding another vial. His yellow eyes found hers. Her heart began to pound. He was up to something. She didn't trust him.

"I'm going to tell you one more time. Come over here, elf." He held up the vial. It held that yellow gas. She assumed it was the same that had made Kirlothenin and Adam motionless. If she became motionless, she would be unable to protect Adorei. But she still didn't want him near her or Adorei.

She kept to the back of the cell, shaking her head. "You'll have to come get me." She spoke the words with more confidence than she felt. When Kristie moved next to her, she felt a bit relieved to have her support. A jangling of keys told her that the forsaken was going to do exactly what she had said. Ileeya put Adorei down in the back corner near Amy's cell and got ready to fight.

The cell door opened and the forsaken slowly approached, watching both women. Ileeya saw Kristie attack first. The human kicked at the undead man's knee and a crack was heard. But what would have hurt a live man, only annoyed the undead. He shook his leg and lashed out with his left arm, knocking her against the cell bars. The men in the other cell were yelling, but Ileeya didn't hear what they were saying.

Ileeya took this opportunity, when he was distracted, to strike out with her own leg towards his gut. But instead of hitting him, he had grabbed her ankle and yanked on it, pulling her off balance. Ileeya fell on her rear end. She quickly turned to make sure she hadn't fallen too near Adorei. She didn't want to accidentally hurt her.

When she looked back, she saw Kristie take on that same blank look that Kirlothenin and Adam had gotten earlier. The forsaken approached her with the vial and she backed up until she hit the wall. Ileeya knew she losing this fight and held up her hand. "Wait!" He paused. She didn't want to be helpless to protect her daughter. "I won't fight anymore. Just don't use that, please."

Her heart thudded against her breast as she watched him glance at the vial. His thumb covered the vial and he reached down with his free hand. Grabbing her by the neck, he lifted her up and pushed her against the wall. His hands were cold and clammy. The fingertips were nothing but bone and scratched her where they met her skin. She held her breath as his face came close to hers. The smell was overpowering.

"What's your name?"

Ileeya had to look away. She noticed that there was no breath when he spoke. His chest did not rise and fall with breath like the chests of living creatures. She didn't answer him at first, unsure if she should give him her name. His hand moved and pressed the side of her chin until her face began to be forced into the hard wall. Pain began to build from the pressure. She could hear Jelune's voice, taunting the forsaken, trying to get him to leave her alone.

"Ileeya. My name is Ileeya."

"Last name."

"Whitestar."

"And the infant?"

Ileeya hesitated and she felt her face pressed against the wall again. "Adorei!" She felt herself pushed quickly down to the ground. By the time she had gotten herself turned around and standing again, he was holding her daughter. Ileeya's face paled as he began to walk out of the cell. Ileeya followed after him, dreading what he could do to her baby. "Leave her alone! Please!"

She was only a little surprised to find he had not prevented her from leaving the cell. Perhaps he knew she would not leave Adorei. He kept an eye on her, however, as he moved to the cell that Kirlothenin and Adam had been in. "Go in."

Ileeya shook her head. "Not without Adorei!"

The forsaken knew just how to make her obey him. The arm that was holding Adorei let go of her for a split second, but he caught her quickly. "Next time I won't catch her. Enter!"

With clear frustration and fear on her face, she entered the cell and immediately turned to take Adorei only to have the cell door closed between them. Ileeya panicked. Kirlothenin's warning forgotten. "Give her back to me! Please! I'll do anything you say, just give her back!"

"Yes, you will do as I say, Ileeya Whitestar." He wasn't looking at her, though. He was studying Adorei. "She's a half breed!" He absently moved back to the cell that only Kristie occupied now and locked it. "That blood elf?" He finally looked up at Ileeya. She slowly nodded her head. "Interesting."

She watched him poke and prod at Adorei until the infant woke up, crying in annoyance. "This one could be worth a fortune for her mixed heritage." He seemed to ponder this as Ileeya felt dread course through her. Finally, he approached the cell, opened the door and handed the infant back to her. "But until she is older and more useful for experiments." He closed the door quickly and locked it.

He then moved back to the cell with Kristie in it. She was slowly coming out of the trance or whatever it was she was in. "What is this one's name?" Ileeya glanced towards Jelune and Lord Aron. They only glared at the forsaken man.

"Kristie Alexston."

"The child?"

Ileeya looked at the orphan trying desperately to reach for Kristie through the bars. "Amy Masters."

"And these two?" The forsaken finally put himself in front of the last cell.

"I can speak for myself." Jelune looked very angry at the treatment of his sister and niece.

"Then state your name."

Jelune gave him a defiant look.

"Very well, I shall call you Specimen #1 and you will be on the top of my list for my next experiment."

"His name is Jelune Mooncaller. He told me as much earlier." The human stepped forward, ignoring Jelune's glare. "My name is Lord Aron Boxley. And you are...?"

The forsaken's gaze went to the human with mild interest. "I am Jerold Grimmort. Your title means nothing here. I am not impressed with such things." He turned away.

"If it's gold you were deprived of, I can offer a solution."

Jerold paused. "You have no gold on you. You can offer nothing."

"I can get the gold. Name your price."

Jerold slowly turned towards him, eyeing the man and trying to determine his character. "For...?"

"My freedom. And the freedom of Miss Alexston and the child."

"That's a stiff price to pay, Aron Boxley." Jerold became curious now. "You do not ask for the cost for the night elves?"

"You already said the female and infant were not for sale. I do not know this night elf beside me. But the woman and child are known to me. She is the daughter of a respected gentleman I know and consider a friend." Lord Aron looked as though he were arranging some sort of deal at the House of Nobles instead of bargaining for their lives.

Kristie watched the proceedings with growing astonishment. Why didn't he offer to buy Adam before he was taken away? She recalled that he hadn't even protested when Adam was lead out of the room.

The forsaken had taken a step towards Lord Aron. "Just how much are you willing to pay?"

"How much do you expect to get for us?"

Jerold named the price for each.

"I'll match that and add 20%."

"Gold is gold, and that is a good price, I will admit." He fell silent as he thought the offer over. "I could keep Jelune for my experiments." He made the motion of sighing, though there was no expulsion of air since he didn't breathe. "Too bad you don't have the gold on you." Jerold turned away once more.

"Then let me go get it!"

Jerold stopped. He thought it over for a few minutes then spoke without turning around. "How far are you willing to go for your, and your friends' freedom, Boxley?"

There was silence as Lord Aron considered the forsaken's question. "What do you mean, exactly?"

Now Jerold turned around with a calculating smile on his dead face. "I mean, Mr. Boxley, are you ready to chance death for their freedom?"

Ileeya could see perspiration form on Lord Aron's forehead as he realized what he may be getting himself into. She wanted to tell him not to accept, but feared repercussions from Grimmort. Lord Aron glanced at Kristie and Amy before swallowing and looking back at Jerold. "I am."

The forsaken quickly turned and left the room, not bothering to close the prison room door. A few minutes later, he returned and thrust a vial towards Lord Boxley. "The deal is for you to retrieve the gold we agreed upon and return with it in exchange for yours and their freedom. If you accept the deal, you will drink this. It is a slow-acting poison that will take 20 hours to come to full potency. I have the antidote upstairs." He waved towards the door.

"If you do not return with the gold, you will die. If you tell anyone of me and the others here, I will not give you the antidote. If you tell anyone of those who left here today, I will not give you the antidote. And trust me, I will know. Do you accept the terms?"

Lord Aron looked at the vial and then at the forsaken. "How do I know you will keep your word?"

Jerold smiled. "You don't. There's the risk." He then offered the vial again.

"Don't bother taking it, Lord Aron." The voice belonged to Kristie. "I won't leave here without the others."

Lord Aron turned to her and gave her an authoritative look. His voice matched his look. "Reuben did his duty at my request, Miss Alexston. It's high time I did mine. His brother had said so himself. I do this for him as much as for you. I know my duty. Do you know yours?" He glanced at Amy.

Ileeya had no idea who this Reuben was, but apparently Kristie did. After staring into Lord Aron's eyes, the sculptress relented and looked away. Ileeya felt a little relieved. If this forsaken kept his word, then at least those three would be safe.

With a slight nod, Lord Aron took the vial from Jerold and drank the contents.


	7. Chapter 7

Lord Aron tried hard to ignore the curious and almost pleased looks Jerold was giving him. He couldn't help but feel as though he was part of an experiment. After insisting that Jelune remain at the back of the cell, Jerold passed the yellow gaseous vial quickly by Lord Aron's face and the next thing he knew, he was in some sort of laboratory tied to a table.

He immediately began to perspire as he saw Jerold and another undead man standing over him, preparing something off to the side. "You lied!" He struggled to free himself. He was ignored. "Free me this instant! I did not agree to this!"

"You don't even know what '_this_' is." Jerold didn't bother looking at him as he responded. He and the other forsaken spoke to each other in their gutteral language. Lord Aron continued to struggle against the ropes. Fear gripped at his heart and he tried desperately to hold it back.

The two forsaken ended their conversation and turned to him. The newer forsaken held what looked like a stylus, only, it had a very sharp point, almost needle-like. An inkwell with an odd liquid inside was set on the table. "I'd suggest you stay still. If I mess up, I'll only have to start again."

"What- What are you doing? I demand you stop!" He wished his voice sounded more authoritative instead of panic-filled. He struggled again.

Cold hands held his shoulders as Jerold stood over him at the head of the table. "You agreed to this deal, Boxley."

"I agreed to the poison and antidote!"

"Yes. And did you really think I would allow you to go out and recruit a band of mercenaries to rescue your friends? This is a precaution, nothing more." Jerold's voice was attempting to soothe him, but his words only made Aron want to get up and run. He wasn't one of those brave heroes that wander the lands. Still, he forced himself to try and stay still and took in deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

Jerold got an odd look on his face as he watched Aron breathe. This did not make the nobleman feel any better. It was as though the undead man was fascinated with watching him breathe. "What are you going to do to me?" His muscles were rock hard as he tried to brace himself for...well...anything.

"Gavor here is a warlock and a scribe. He works for me from time to time. He's going to combine one of his curses with a new ink he had developed called Shadowsoul Ink. Using this ink and his magic, he'll put inscriptions on your throat and hands to prevent you from telling anyone about us, your friends, or your situation."

"You- You could have told me this before I agreed to the deal."

Gavor said something in gutterspeak and Jerold replied in common. "Indeed. He _was_ quite willing to take a poison for the sake of his friends. But when it comes to a little pain...tch...such cowardice. What would his friends think of him now?" He nodded his head towards Gavor who began carving his needle-stylus into the back of Aron's right hand.

Lord Aron hissed in pain and he tried to think of something else in hopes of forgetting the pain, but the more the warlock inscribed, the more pain he felt. Finally, he had to gasp, "At least give me something to dull the pain!" A soft chuckle was the only reply. After only five minutes of silent suffering, he could no longer hold back a whimper. Tears of pain fell unbidden from his eyes. The whimper turned into an occasional moan or cry.

Fortunately, the warlock was efficient in his job. Half an hour later, he was done. Lord Aron's hands and base of the neck were red and swollen where the ink had entered. A rag covered in his blood, lay on his chest. As Lord Aron recovered from the painful experience, Jerold rubbed a pasty concoction into the inscriptions. Another ten minutes later, the swelling had gone down, and the ink of the inscriptions had begun to disappear.

"Time to test it." Jerold stepped back, addressing Aron. "Tell Gavor that you drank poison."

Lord Aron wanted to do no such thing. But he was also aware that time was ticking away on the poison in his body. "I dra- " Lord Aron began to cough as his throat suddenly constricted of it's own accord.

"Good. Good. Now, write down that your friends are in trouble." Jerold put a quill in Aron's bound hand and slipped a piece of parchment underneath.

After waiting until he could breathe easier, Lord Aron complied. He felt a slight burning on his hand as he tried to write without seeing the parchment, but succeeded in writing his message ...or so he had thought. Jerold held up the paper with a satisfactory grunt. It showed only gibberish.

"I think we are done here. You may now go." Gavor began to undo the straps holding his wrists. Jerold was quick with the yellow vial. Lord Aron had no time to even get up before his mind went blank.

**…**

Kirlothenin let out a string of curses in Thalassian. The only light in the tunnel came from the lantern near the head of the skeletal horse. He heard Adam let out his own expletives as he came to his senses once more. How the fel did that forsaken get the best of them? He tried to calm himself, but he was too angry. Instead, he let out his frustration on the bars of the cage, shaking them hard. They didn't budge- not that he expected them to.

But it was enough to get rid of some of the rage within. He finally was able to close his eyes and attempt to meditate in order to calm himself more. He needed his wits about him if he were to escape.

"So you're just going to sit there doing nothing?" Adam's voice was scalding.

Kirlothenin kept his eyes closed. "I am doing something. I'm meditating. I suggest you do the same until you calm down." He heard Adam growl and something hit the floor of the cell, but silence after that. Kirlothenin opened one eye to glance at him. The rogue sat against the bars with his arms crossed. He wasn't meditating, but Kirlothenin believed he was attempting to calm himself. This was good. They would need to work together and hot tempers were definitely not needed. Kirlothenin closed his eye once more.

They had traveled for half an hour before he heard the human move. The mage opened his eyes to see Adam looking at the lock on the cage door. He watched with interest, knowing rogues could pick locks. But Adam had already said earlier that his lock picking kit had been taken from him. After a few minutes, Adam sat back and sighed.

They were silent for awhile. Kirlothenin glanced at the lone forsaken by the horse's head. All he knew was that she was female, and a mage. That meant their escape was all the more difficult if she had any skill. He'd dealt with other mages before. But not without his magic. He glanced at the shackles once more. So, his original assumption had been correct. The inscriptions on the shackles must be preventing him from casting any spells.

Still, his magic was not the only skill he had. It was time he put his other abilities to use. "You do realize that you'll be in trouble for holding a blood elf." He addressed the forsaken in orcish. There was no response. She didn't even turn her head. "Once they see me, they'll have to let me go. The Reagent Lord will not stand for his people to be treated this way."

There was no response. He stared at the forsaken's back trying to find a foothold for manipulation. Either she was good at ignoring him, or she was deaf. She suddenly stopped and he thought maybe he had succeeded in getting her attention. But she continued to ignore him as she moved towards what looked like a wall. Muttering a spell in her own gutterspeak language, he watched as a portion of the wall disappeared.

Bright sunlight poured into the cave, blinding him for a moment. He shut his eyes from the pain of his iris' contracting so swiftly. After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes again, letting them adjust to the light. The cage lurched forward as the horse moved again.

They exited the cave onto a small hill. Kirlothenin looked around, trying to see anything he might recognize. A path lead the way down the hill to a dilapidated road not too far away. Pale and sickly-looking trees were scattered here and there. The weather was cooler than in Moonglade, possibly due to the mossy overhang preventing much of the sun's penetration of the forest. But the most eerie part of this forest wasn't the diseased trees. It was the silence, broken only by the occasional howl in the distance.

"Silverpine."

"What?"

Kirlothenin glanced at Adam. "We're in Silverpine Forest." This didn't bode well. He estimated that they would reach Undercity by the end of the day.

The skeletal horse and cage descended the hill and Kirlothenin glanced back to see they had exited what appeared to be an abandoned and collapsed mine.

Now that there was brighter light, Adam took a look at the cage door once more, trying to find a weak spot. Not finding any, he checked Kirlothenin's shackles. It was a little difficult with all the bumps from the cage on the uneven ground. But things smoothed out quickly after they reached the road.

Kirlothenin held his wrists still so Adam could get a good look at the locks. As he did so, his fel-green eyes glanced up just in time to see what looked like a cross between a giant and an ogre. It was an ettin pulling a large contraption quickly along the road. An undead driver sat on the contraption to help _encourage_ the ettin along. They apparently hadn't expected to see another vehicle on the road. The ettin's face twisted into a look of surprise as he tried to come to a fast stop, but failed and tripped over his own feet.

"Watch out!" Kirlothenin barely had time to get a warning out to Adam as he grabbed the bars of the cage to brace himself for the impact. The ettin's huge body tumbled forwards and twisted to the side as he tried to avoid the small cage and horse. The contraption he was pulling continued it's forward motion and rammed into Kirlothenin's and Adam's cage, making it roll over from the impact.

When the dust settled, Kirlothenin examined himself. He was bruised, but no broken bones. He glanced at Adam who had a cut across his cheekbone. He looked otherwise uninjured. The two of them immediately examined the cage to see if it had broken, but stopped when the ettin stood up and towered over them angrily.

A voice spoke in gutterspeak and the ettin froze for a moment before leaning down and picking up the cage, setting it on it's wheels. Unfortunately, the bars of the cage remained intact. The forsaken that was 'driving' the ettin and contraption began to argue with the forsaken mage who had been taking them to Undercity.

After about five minutes of arguing, the ettin picked up one side of the cage, revealing how one wheel had been broken. For the first time, the female forsaken spoke to them in common. "We go to the Sepulcher for repairs. It only means a delay of the inevitable for you two."

**…**

Maggie stepped out of the moonbeam portal and quickly made her way back to SI:7 headquarters. Things weren't looking very good. In Moonglade, she had met Ileeya's father, Dormir. He had been upset that his daughter and her guests, including Adam, Kristie, and Amy were missing. After looking the place over, the only clues they had found were a piece of dirty fabric, some footprints indicating at least two humanoids, and a musty smell within the house.

She had informed him of Baros' disappearance. Though they weren't sure of a connection between the two, Maggie had returned to Stormwind to follow her only lead, Lord Jorach. Dormir would have the Cenarion Circle check on a cult that Ileeya and someone named Kirlothenin had had troubles with in the past.

Before she had left, she had given him her personal marker, a medallion, ensuring cooperation from SI:7 should he need to find her. For now, she needed to update Renzik on what had happened. Shaw's second-in-command was the only one, aside from herself and Jackson, who knew where Mathias had gone.

After her report was given, Maggie went upstairs to look through the files. She wanted to find out all she could on this Kirlothenin. Ileeya's father had seemed too reticent to talk about him. There was no file in the open files. Maggie returned to Renzik and after telling him why she wanted the information, he disappeared into the confidential file room, returning a few minutes later with the folder in hand.

She wasn't allowed to take the parchments out of the office so she quickly skimmed the file, paying more attention to the parts that were of more interest- and there was definitely some interesting parts in there. But there were also some gaps in there as well. Just how SI:7 had some of this information, she had no idea, but by the time she had finished reading the file, she had decided that she had some questions for Dormir the next time she saw him. She wasn't ready to dismiss him as a suspect as easily as Ileeya's father was.

Now satisfied, Maggie gave the file back to Renzik and took off for the nearest flight master to rent a gryphon. It was time to meet up with Shaw.


	8. Chapter 8

Baros stood near the window, watching a bird flying in the distance. He had been allowed to roam freely around with the exception of one wing of the manor. The grounds surrounding the manor were well maintained, due thanks to a night elf landscape architect.

Of course, the first thing he had done was walk right out of the manor, once he found the door, that is. He had followed a path that had taken him to what looked like the entrance to a tunnel. Two rogues stood guard at the entrance. Apparently they had known who he was because as soon as he had approached, they had stepped in his way, blocking him from leaving. Baros had toyed with the idea of pushing his way through, but knew his limitations and hadn't wanted to risk hurting himself in a pointless attempt.

Now, as he stood at the window, he contemplated just how long it would take for Shaw to get to him. He was glad that Kristie had stayed in Moonglade. Perhaps he would return before she did and his daughter would not have to worry about her father.

Baros sighed. Elenor, on the other hand, would know something was wrong and would worry for her husband. He paced away from the window. A part of him considered just taking this job and getting it over with so he could return home. Another part of him, the more stubborn part, refused to be bullied by this so-called nobleman. He thought about all of the jobs he had to get done at home and knew that Foreman Wick would take over temporarily just so the tasks could stay on schedule.

The door opened as he was mulling things over. When he looked up, he saw Stavron enter with a smirk on his face. "You've got company." He moved out of the way for Mathias Shaw to enter.

Baros growled out, "About time! Let's get outta here." He began to head towards the door, only to have Shaw put up a hand to stop him. Baros glared at him.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Baros." Alexston stopped and looked at the man, waiting for an explanation. "I'm here to make sure you don't do...or rather say, anything stupid."

"What?" Baros felt his temper rising. "You're supposed to be here to take me home! This guy kidnapped me! Do your job, Shaw!"

"I... don't have jurisdiction here, Baros."

Baros could see the frustration and apologetic look in Shaw's eyes. But the architect was still livid. "What do you mean? Even if you weren't leader of SI:7, your a damned rogue! You could have snuck me outta here if you wanted."

"You certainly seem to have no issues with my roguish ways when you are in need of them."

Baros glared again, but he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing himself to calm down. "What is problem, here, Shaw? Why don't you have jurisdiction here?"

Shaw indicated for him to sit down. Baros opted to remain standing. Shaw gave Stavron a meaningful look and the lackey rogue, as Baros will always think of him, left the room, closing the door. Mathias then looked at Alexston again. "The Stormwind Assassins Guild and the Assassin's League are two separate guilds. My guild is made up only of Alliance rogues. Jorach's guild is made up of any rogue who qualifies, be they Alliance or Horde.

"I've worked hard at maintaining a loose alliance with them merely for the information they can afford me. All that aside, if I take you out of here against their wishes, it will start off a cascading series of events that will not only break down the tentative truce between our guilds, but also start off a possible war."

Mathias put his foot on a nearby chair and leaned on his knee. "Now imagine just what a war of rogues would do to not only Stormwind, but everywhere else, too. Imagine just how we would attack each other. It wouldn't be armies marching into a battlefield, Baros. It would be small killer squads of rogues sneaking in and killing a target or more. This would continue until one or the other guild is completely broken down. Now imagine what would happen to Stormwind if SI:7 were no more.

"I can't risk the safety of Stormwind because you're too stubborn to accept this job, Baros. I can't keep my end of our pact, either."

Baros kept silent as he took all of this in. Finally, he spoke, looking Mathias right in the eyes. "Are you telling me to let myself be bullied into this?"

Shaw sighed and closed his eyes. "I know you hate the thought of giving in. I'm not going to tell you what to do. But I am asking you to think about it."

Baros grunted as he turned away from Mathias to look out the window once more. He was silent for a long time until he finally asked, "Do you still have that scar?"

Mathias said nothing, but pulled up his sleeve and held his right arm out for Baros to see. It was faded from when Baros last saw it. "If anything ever happens to me, Shaw, you made a promise. I expect you to keep your end of the pact as I have kept mine."

Shaw pulled his sleeve back down slowly. "So, you're still going to resist." It wasn't a question.

"I have my principles. I refused to be bullied back then, I'll refuse to be bullied into this now."

Mathias sighed. He seemed to be doing this a lot. "Then I'll go speak with Lord Jorach and tell him I'm staying... At least for now. Rinzik can handle things without me for a few days."

**…**

"Don't obsess, Jerold."

The apothecary glanced up at Gavor. The warlock knew him too well. "I'm not." He ignored his companion's doubtful look. Lord Aron was standing on the other side of the room with a blindfold on. Gavor will take him as far as the Wetlands, near the ruined town of Menethil Harbor. From there, the human was expected to get a gryphon flight to Ironforge, get his money, and meet Gavor back in the wetlands. If Gavor had any suspicions whatsoever of Lord Aron betraying them, he was to simply push the man off the flying mount to his death.

"I saw you watching him breathe, Jerold."

"I found it interesting to watch. That is not obsessing."

"It can turn in to obsession, and you know it. You've done it be- "

"Good-bye Gavor. Should all go well, You will be rewarded."

Gavor paused for a moment, but said no more as he led the human out the door. Jerold watched them leave. He knew that the warlock's concern was only in protecting his own interests. He dismissed Gavor from his mind and headed downstairs.

Jerold didn't enter the prison room. Instead, he quietly slid open a small panel in the wall that allowed him to look in and listen without the prisoners noticing him. He found this valuable on occasion. The living sometimes act differently out of his presence than they did when they knew he was there.

" -at about Adam? And, and, um..Kir- Kirlo..." It was the voice of the child.

"Kirlothenin. You can call him Kir if you want." That was Ileeya. Jerold looked into the room to watch them as he listened to their conversation. It wasn't often he had multiple 'guests'.

Kristie had her arms through the cell bars, holding Amy. "They're smart. They'll figure a way out of their situation. Don't worry, Amy."

Ileeya had her back to Jerold, but he noticed part of her tunic was torn off, letting her midriff show. "There. That should hold for now. I just wish we could get rid of the dirty diaper."

Diaper? Jerold had to sort through his memory as to what that was. At that point, Ileeya held up Adorei and Jerold spotted where the missing part of her tunic was. Ohhh. So that's what a diaper is. It all came back to him now. Babies were helpless creatures that didn't even know how to control their own excrement. Jerold frowned. Raising people from the dead seemed to be less troublesome than babies.

Still, he noted to himself to get her something to work as diapers. Jerold didn't want anything to happen to that infant...yet. Despite his telling the blood elf that she'll never be for sale, he was considering changing his mind in that. The child was worth too much. Mixed heritage children were rare enough as to make them valuable test subjects. But she'll have to grow a bit more to be able to handle the tests. The only thing they could do at this stage is to take some blood samples.

"I know you're hungry, Amy." Kristie's voice drew Jerold's attention back to the woman and child. "I am, too. Try not to think about it."

"I can't think of anything else, Kristie. I'm so hungry, I'd even eat broccoli!"

Kristie laughed. "I'll remember you said that." She seemed to change her tactics. "If you could have anything you wanted to eat, what would it be?"

"Um...Chocolate ice cream with a cherry on top!"

"How about a banana split?"

Amy seemed to relax a little and even smiled. "Yeah! Even better! It'd have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream! And nuts sprinkled on top!"

Kristie made motions with her hands that Jerold didn't understand what she was doing until Kristie spoke again. "There. One banana split, Madam. That'll be thirty-five copper, please." Amy giggled and took the pretend ice cream from Kristie.

Jerold tilted his head at the odd sound. His prisoners rarely laughed, unless it was the laugh of madness consuming them. This was definitely not madness. Jerold closed the panel and opened the door. He absent-mindedly noted everyone within stiffen. He ignored them, and just looked at the child, remembering when he first saw her skipping in Moonglade.

Amy was watching him with fear in her eyes as she tried to get as close to Kristie as she could. Jerold stopped just outside her cell and just watched the child.

"We're hungry." Jerold ignored the human woman.

Amy's eyes finally tore away from his and she looked at the ground. Jerold frowned. He took out his keys and paused, recalling Gavor's warning about not obsessing. Jerold told himself he was just curious, not obsessing. He unlocked the cell, earning a warning from the hunter. "Stay out of there!"

At the same time, the child let go of her guardian to move as far to the back of the cell as she could. The human woman moved with her, once more reaching through the bars to hold Amy in a protective manner. Jerold stayed away from the walls of the cell as he slowly approached the child. Her fearful eyes watched him once more. He stopped at the center of the cell and tilted his head. He looked down at her feet before looking at her face again. "Skip."

The child looked confused. She glanced to Kristie who did nothing. "Skip...with your legs. You did it before." Amy shook her head at him. Jerold pressed his lips together feeling the dead skin tighten around him mouth. "Laugh." He tried again. He wanted to see this child act...well...like normal live children do. He wanted to observe just how different they were from adults. Idly, he realized he had never had a child test subject before. It was usually adults.

Amy shook her head even harder and started to tremble and cry. Jerold began to get frustrated.

"If you want her to laugh, then let us all go! She'll never be happy enough to laugh in this dank cell!"

Jerold's eyes finally turned to Kristie, knowing what she said couldn't be true as he, himself, had heard the child giggle just a few minutes ago. But his momentary...interest... was now broken. He turned and left the cell, locking it once more. He stopped before the long table on the opposite wall and picked up the cloths stacked there. He couldn't even recall why he had put them there so many months ago. He dropped the cloths in front of Ileeya's cell and left the prison room.

**…**

Flying through the air with a blindfold on is disconcerting at best. Flying through the air on a green proto-drake with a dead man's arms wrapped around you to guide it doesn't help the situation at all. Add to that the poison coursing through his veins, slowly killing him, and one could imagine just how Lord Aron Boxley was feeling.

They had been flying for three hours, and it wasn't until just now that Lord Aron had finally felt the beast start to descend downwards. A few moments later, they landed. Lord Aron asked himself for the hundredth time that day just what in the world he was doing. There was no answer from himself and he decided he must be losing his mind if he expected one.

The warlock dismounted first, then helped Aron down and lifted off the blindfold. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. The sun was setting, but it was still light enough to see that he was in the wetlands. In fact, he could see the town of Menethil Harbor in the distance.

Gavor untied his wrists, apparently unconcerned about the nobleman attacking him. "Speak to no one except the banker. Remember, trying to communicate in any way about us or the situation you and your friends are in will result in your death." He moved closer to Aron and spoke with a snarl. "And if I found you've betrayed us, not only will I kill you, but I'll return and purchase those whose freedom you tried to buy, and give them to one of my demons to use as they will."

Lord Aron nodded his paled face. Then had to swallow before asking, "I'll meet you back here?"

The warlock smirked. "No. You are to fly to Arathi Highlands. I will meet you at Galen's Fall."

Aron's eyes went wide. "Galen's Fall? If I walk even close to there, I'll be killed!"

"Not if they're expecting you ...alone." Gavor then gave the time he should arrive.

The nobleman calculated the travel time it would take to get to Ironforge and back. "That's barely enough time just for the traveling. I need extra time to withdraw the gold from the bank, plus I wanted to get some supplies for my friends on the trip back."

"No supplies, Boxley. No extra time. If you're late, I'll fulfill my promise about your friends, then I'll come hunting you." The warlock, then climbed onto his mount and took off without another word.

Lord Aron Boxley turned and ran hard towards Menethil Harbor.

The flight from the harbor to Ironforge wasn't very long, but it seemed like an eternity to the nobleman. He tried to urge his gryphon to fly faster, but the beast seemed to not be in a hurry. As soon as he landed, Lord Aron ran to the bank, for once not caring about his station and propriety and how unseemly it would look for a noble to run places.

Fortunately, there was no line up in the bank and Lord Aron was able to withdraw the gold and put it in a backpack they provided for it. He withdrew some extra gold and ran to the nearest inn. He bought some parchment and borrowed a quill pen. He had been thinking of how to get some help and believed he had outwitted the forsaken.

He sat down and began to write a letter to Baros Alexston, asking how his friend, Mathias was. Absently noting that the inscriptions on his hand had disappeared. He found he could not write 'Alexston'. He tried to write a letter that had nothing to do with his situation, but found the forsaken had been more thorough than he thought with many words being included in those that he could not write. In frustration, he crumpled the parchment up and threw to the side. There wasn't time to figure out a way around it.

"Hey!"

Lord Aron looked up to see a rogue glaring at him. Apparently, the nobleman had accidentally hit him with the crumpled parchment. This gave him another idea. Lord Aron stood and approached the rogue. "How'd you like to make twenty gold?"

The rogue eyed him with a scowl of disgust. "I don't think so."

Lord Aron was confused for a moment, then realized that the rogue may have misinterpreted his offer. "I'll give you twenty gold for cutting my arm with your dagger." He ignored the look the man was giving him.

"I'll have to clean my dagger. It still has some poison on it."

"Perfect! Don't clean it and I'll give you an extra ten gold for taking me to the nearest shaman afterwards."

He knew the rogue thought he was out of his mind, but he didn't care. He pulled out the gold and held out his arm, closing his eyes and tensing himself for the pain he knew would come. The man did as asked and after cutting his arm, led him to just outside a building in the inner circle of Ironforge. He took his gold and left.

Lord Aron entered the building and held out his arm to a draenei shaman inside. He told them that it was a rogues dagger that had cut his arm and could he heal it. The shaman gave him a curious look. Although shaman could heal just as well as priests, most people went to the priests for healing. The shaman introduced himself as Farseer Javad.

"Was the blade poisoned?"

Aron opened his mouth to answer, but could feel his throat start to constrict. He closed his mouth and shrugged.

"I'll check for poisons then." The shaman got to work right away. Aron was well aware of time ticking away and he fidgeted in his impatience. The shaman noticed this. "Please sit still."

"Sorry, I'm kinda in a hurry here."

The shaman continued his work. The cut was healed. When the shaman frowned, Lord Aron's hopes grew. Farseer Javad looked at him. "You have two poisons in you. I recognize the rogue's usual poison. But the other..."

Lord Aron said nothing. He couldn't say it anyhow.

"I feel I must ask this, is there someone who... would want to harm you?"

Lord Aron had to word his answer carefully. "I'm a nobleman. It's part of the job that people dislike me."

The shaman fell silent and cast his spell to remove both poisons. Aron suddenly felt his stomach begin to churn. Bile rose to the top of his throat and Javad quickly handed him a bucket for Aron to regurgitate the poison from his system. He felt a little dizzy, but otherwise fine. "Thank you, Javad. If I am able at a later time, I'll come back to show more of my appreciation. But for now, I am running out of time for a meeting." He shook the draenei's hand and quickly left the building, proud of himself for being able to get rid of Jerold's poison. He never trusted the forsaken to keep his word and give him the antidote.

As he quickly made his way to the flight master, he spotted an arcanery shop nearby. A split second decision had him entering the shop and facing a gnome. "I need a question answered in two minutes before I have to catch a flight out."


	9. Chapter 9

Maggie landed her gryphon at the base of the mountainside where Ravenholdt Manor was. It had been a few years since she had last been here. And then, it was only in attempts to get some more training. She had to admit the guild was the best at pickpocketing, lockpicking, and finding traps. Most rogues came here to learn those skills from them. She had never met Ravenholdt while she was here, though. She learned her skill from one of their lower ranked, but none-the-less skilled, trainers.

She entered the tunnel and walked the length of it, knowing there will be two guards at the entrance. She quickly made the hand signal to show that she was welcomed there. The guards let her pass and she made her way up the hill to the manor.

A quick question and she was led to a room where Shaw was talking with an older man with white hair. She waited at the entrance, merely clearing her throat to alert them of her presence. Shaw didn't turn around, but the older man glanced in her direction for a moment. After another minute, the two wrapped up their conversation and Mathias finally turned to her, motioning her forward. "Maggie Strome, meet Lord Jorach Ravenholdt."

Ravenholdt gave Maggie an appreciative look and nodded his head in greeting. "A pleasure to meet such a lovely young lady."

Maggie couldn't help but grin at his formal manners. She'd heard enough about him to know he could be just as ruthless as any rogue. "The pleasure is mine to finally meet the leader of this illustrious guild." She could dish it out as much as he could.

Shaw cleared his throat, keeping the topic on business. "Do you have something to report, Agent Strome?"

She looked at him. Did she detect a slight bit of jealousy behind that hard look? "Yes, sir." Her voice was all business. She glanced at Ravenholdt, unwilling to give her report in front of him. Ravenholdt picked up on this and excused himself from the room.

Once he was gone, Maggie told Shaw all she had found, and not found, in Moonglade. After thinking it over, Shaw finally replied, "I don't think Kristie's here. It's not Jorach's style, though I wouldn't put it past him to use the information to his advantage. Besides, if he had wanted to use a hostage, he would have taken Elenor."

"What do we tell Baros?"

Mathias thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Don't tell him anything, yet. He doesn't need this added to his repertoire of worries."

Maggie watched him. She could tell he was concerned about something, but wasn't sure just what. "Orders, sir?" She opted to keep things on the business level.

Shaw remained quiet. He seemed to be at a quandary and she softened her attitude a little, concerned about his indecisiveness. "Mathias? What's wrong?"

"I can't leave here to help search for Kristie and Adam." He finally looked at her. "Despite Jorach's assurances of no harm to Baros, he cannot guarantee how the rogues around here will react to Baros' attitude towards them. Not all rogues here are a part of his guild, nor ours."

Maggie listened and suspected there was something more going on than protecting a Stormwind citizen. Shaw could have any one of his agents protect him, but he's choosing to look after Baros himself. It must have something to do with the odd love/hate friendship the two have. "So, you stay here then. What's the problem?"

Shaw scratched underneath his goatee. "What are your leads to find Kristie?"

Maggie raised one eyebrow just slightly at Shaw's change of subject. "Next to nothing. Dormir is trying to find his daughter through something called the Emerald Dream. The only possible lead I have is one who disappeared along with them.

"Kirlothenin."

This time Maggie blinked in surprise. "You know him?"

"Not personally. But we've been keeping tabs on him from time to time."

"I noticed." She sighed. "What do you think? Could he have conjured a portal to take them out of there?"

"Possibly. Possibly. Whether it's for protection or otherwise, we have yet to determine. But my gut says he's as much a victim in this."

"Then I have nothing to go on, other than that cult, and the Cenarion Circle is investigating that."

Shaw leaned back against a table. "You mentioned a musty smell inside the house?" At Maggie's nod, he pondered this for a few more minutes before speaking again. "How would you take a whole house full of people that could easily fight back, yet leave no signs of a struggle?"

After thinking a moment, she answered, "Gas." Maggie rested her weight on one leg as she crossed her arms in front of her. "That doesn't narrow our search much. Any alchemist could put something together."

"Go visit our friend upstairs, Maggie. Keep him in his room and out of trouble. I'll be back in a few hours."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Sure. But you'll owe me." She grinned.

He was in the process of leaving, but turned his head to glance back at her. "No I won't. You're doing your job. Not to mention you like the old man, despite his crankiness...or maybe because of it."

"You're no fun. Get!" She waved him off, but was rewarded by an amused smile from Shaw before he disappeared.

**...**

Kirlothenin wrapped his robes more tightly around himself. It was cold tonight. The forsaken in the Sepulcher hadn't bothered to give either of them blankets. He and Adam had to sit back to back to use each other's body warmth to keep from getting too cold. But neither one of them could sleep.

After they had arrived at the Sepulcher, the broken wheel had been taken off the cage. The forsaken woman had then teleported back to Undercity with the wheel to be fixed as there were no supplies to fix it at the Sepulcher.

Kirlothenin knew exactly why she was escorting them over land instead of just creating a portal that would take them directly to Undercity. It was an exercise in torment. The dread of knowing what could happen once they reached the Apothecarium and become 'test subjects'. It was meant to torment. But it wasn't working on him. And he suspected it worked little on the rogue inside the cage with him.

Both of them were continuously plotting ways of escaping before they reached the dreaded city. The problem was, neither one had come up with an effective escape plan.

"Tell me something, elf..."

Kirlothenin barely turned his head in response to Adam's voice. He glanced around the area. There were some patrolling dreadguards and a dark ranger nearby, but none close enough to the cage to hear their conversation.

"Why did you take her?"

The mage was a little surprised at this question and couldn't figure out why Adam was asking about Ileeya, other than from boredom...or morbid curiosity. "She wasn't my first choice. I originally wanted the sentinel with them- someone who understood war and the risk of capture." He scowled to himself. "But the shaman in our group killed her. So I settled on Ileeya, instead." He was quiet for a moment and closed his eyes. "It doesn't matter, now. I've made many mistakes. Leave it at that." Silence fell between them. But Kirlothenin was now thinking back to that time. One thing came to mind and he spoke once more. "Although..." He paused to consider his words. "I am grateful now that you were there for her."

There was no response. Kirlothenin let the silence linger for awhile. "It's my turn to ask you a question.' He waited for a response from Adam, but none came. He asked his question anyhow. "Tell me about you and Miss Alexston." He felt the man stiffen.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm bored. Humor me."

Adam was silent for a few minutes, but then began to tell him how the two had met and how he had been assigned to protect her. He skimmed over the tale of their adventures together trying to hide from a mad woman. When he got to the part where he had been awoken one morning by her and they had laughed, Kirlothenin had to interrupt. "You're on the run for your lives, and you tickle her?" He recalled when the man had tickled Amy after the fight with Omen.

Now Adam's head turned to the side as though he wanted to see the elf. "Why not? Just because darkness looms around us, doesn't mean we can't enjoy each other's presence. It's a sort of stress relief. Besides, I like hearing Kristie laugh."

"Yet you cling to the dark fate of your brother and refuse to forgive your father." Silence. Adam's head faced forward again. Kirlothenin could feel the very air get thick with the human's brooding. He sighed inwardly. "Forgive me. It was none of my business. Please go on with your tale."

Adam kept silent for a few more minutes, but finally relented and continued his story. When he told Kirlothenin of the Morsuleto Runestone, the mage had to fully turn around and look at the rogue in surprise. "She survived the Morsuleto Stone?"

Adam sighed and turned to face him. "Yes. Is it really that hard for people to believe?"

"Yes. How?"

He could barely see the man's face in the low torchlight of the area. "Lady Proudmoore removed it by cutting it out of her arm and placing it on a boar. I don't know much more than that."

"I may have to have a chat with Lady Proudmoore again some time," Kirlothenin muttered.

"Why?"

The mage could hear the concern in Adam's tone of voice. He merely waved his hand. "Simple intellectual curiosity." He paused, then told Adam, "You've got a strong-spirited woman, Adam." He paused. "She and Ileeya would be good for each other. At least they are together when we cannot be with them."

"Jelune would protect them as best he could." Adam turned back around and so did Kirlothenin so that they were back to back once more.

"He's gotten better at his hunting skills. But without his pet and weapons? He's just as helpless as we are at the moment."

"Kristie's smart, Kirlothenin." The mage noticed this was the first time Adam had said his name without disgust in his tone. "I'll bet she'll figure a way out of there."

"But she cannot fight."

"I've taught her a few defensive moves. But she uses her head more than any physical fighting abilities. And what she lacks in skill, Ileeya and Jelune can make up for it."

Kirlothenin noticed that Adam hadn't mentioned someone. "And Lord Aron?"

There was a low growl from Adam's throat. "He'll sit back and do nothing, letting others fight for him. He can rot there."

Kirlothenin frowned. This man can hold a long grudge, it seemed. This concerned him. He half-turned towards the man once more. "Adam, we may have had our differences, but we need to work together here."

The human glared at him in the small light afforded them. "I'm not stupid, blood elf. Can you not see that I am trying to figure out a way out of this?"

"Yes. I can see that. But what happens after we escape? You were clear with your feelings towards me before all of this. You don't like me."

"Do I have to?"

Kirlothenin sighed. "No. I don't expect you would."

"We wouldn't even be in this situation if you hadn't taken her in the first place!"

The mage's temperament finally snapped. "I am well aware of my failings, rogue! But, I'm the one who has to live with my mistakes, not you!"

Adam had opened his mouth to make a retort when a low cackle of a laugh interrupted the two. "Jerold said you two would be entertaining. I had almost lost hope." The forsaken mage had returned.

**...**

Ileeya awoke to the sounds of crying. At first, she thought it was Amy. The situation they were in was hard enough on the adults in the group. But to have a child suffer through this... She silently sighed. But soon realized that it wasn't Amy, but Kristie who was trying so hard to be quiet in her crying. Ileeya sat up. The wall torches died out awhile ago. But the night elf could still see in the dark. Kristie was curled up on the pile of hay within her cell, closer to Ileeya's cell, than Amy's. Perhaps because she didn't want to wake the child.

Ileeya reached through the bars and was just barely able to brush her fingertips against Kristie's arm. The human woman was startled and sat up looking around. Ileeya realized she couldn't see who had touched her. "It's okay, Kristie. It was just me."

The human turned her head towards Ileeya's voice, but not seeing her. Ileeya told her to come closer. When she did so, the night elf wrapped her arms around her to give her some comfort. Kristie relaxed against her. "I'm sorry I woke you."

Ileeya smiled, even though Kristie couldn't see it. "It's okay."

There was silence between them and Ileeya wondered if her friend had fallen asleep. But Kristie spoke again. "I tried hard not to show fear in front of Adam or Amy. But I couldn't hold back anymore."

Ileeya's eyes flicked to the sleeping child. The girl had been exhausted. She knew Kristie was trying to be strong for the both of them. "We'll get out of here." She said it with conviction. Neither of them had any idea if Lord Aron would succeed in releasing Kristie and Amy. Both suspected the forsaken of betrayal and just taking the gold and not letting them go. They couldn't rely on him. "Kir will find a way out and come back for us. I have a feeling, Adam will be right alongside him."

At this, Kristie sat up, but held Ileeya's hand. "You're very sure of Kirlothenin, aren't you?"

"He promised to protect me and Adorei..." Ileeya's voice trailed off as she contemplated the 'relationship' between her and the blood elf. "He's in love with me."

There was silence for a moment. "I wondered." Kristie tried to gaze at her friend. "I thought I saw it in his eyes when he looked at you. But..." It was her turn to trail off and Ileeya thought she knew what Kristie was thinking.

"...But do I love him?" The druid saw Kristie nod. "I wish I could answer that for myself."

"You're not happy."

Ileeya fell silent. "There was much that had happened between us..."

"Find your happiness, Ileeya, and you'll figure it out."

Ileeya blinked in surprise at this simple statement said with such conviction. Things were too complicated for such a simple solution. She chose not to dwell on it and changed the subject instead. "Do you still have nightmares?"

"Sometimes, but not like before."

They fell silent once more. Kristie lay back down to get some more rest. "Thanks, Ileeya." The night elf smiled sadly and lay down herself.

**...**

Lord Aron's heart felt like it was about to pound through his chest. He drew in huge gulps of air as his numbing legs continued to run towards Galen's Fall. The gryphon he had rented from Ironforge had been very fast. But it had been so used to landing in Refuge Point, Lord Aron had had to pull back on the reigns with all his strength to get him to fly further northeast.

As Thoradin's Wall came into view, he landed the great bird-beast and dismounted. He wasn't about to let the noble creature be taken by the Horde. He had thanked the animal and told it to fly back to Refuge Point where it would be safe. He had then hefted his backpack full of gold onto his back and taken off towards the gate of the wall where the small Horde settlement of Galen's Fall was situated.

But the distance to the settlement was farther than he had thought. Two dreadguards came out of the nighttime darkness and the nobleman stopped, leaning over and resting his hands on his knees, gulping in huge amounts of needed air. His chest felt constricted from the exertion. He was so focused on just breathing for the moment that he couldn't even react to the sword tips prodding him forward. He finally was able to slow his breathing enough to move forward at the dreadguards demands.

They arrived in the camp where Gavor was waiting with a frown. "I was just about to get on my mount to retrieve your friends. It seems my felguard is going to be disappointed."

Lord Aron begged for some water. After some searching, a glass was brought to him with dirty water in it. After drinking it down with a grimace, Lord Aron was finally able to speak. "I misjudged the distance, Gavor. I thought I had landed closer to the wall than I had."

"No excuses!" He made a signal to the dreadguards. One held him while the other searched for any weapons. Lord Aron realized he hadn't even thought of that. Apparently satisfied, the dreadguards backed off, much to Aron's relief. He didn't like dead hands touching him.

Gavor took the backpack and looked inside. A smile crossed his features. Aron grimaced at the grotesque sight. The forsaken's smile had spread wider than it possibly could on a human. "It's all there, warlock. Now take me back so I can set my friends free!"

The forsaken glanced at him. "And, I'm sure, you want the antidote."

Lord Aron gave him a glare. "Of course! And the bastard _better_ give it to me!" He was good at lying. It was practically par for course to hide one's true feelings on a matter when one was a politician.

The warlock put a blindfold over Lord Aron's eyes once more and helped him onto the proto-drake. The nobleman was exhausted. It was the middle of the night and the ride would take at least an hour and a half if not more, if he judged his distances right, comparing to the amount of time it had taken to get to Menethil Harbor. His biggest concern right now was not to fall asleep on the way there. Once he had returned, hopefully, he'll be able to get everyone out of there. And once everyone was out, they will help him go rescue Adam.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Don't worry. The action picks up next chapter. ;)<em>


	10. Chapter 10

Dormir flew next to the SI:7 agent leading him to this Ravenholdt Manor place. He rarely traveled to the Eastern Kingdoms and unfortunately didn't know his way around. It was good that Maggie had left him her marker that ensured the cooperation of SI:7. He was sure they would have at least told him where this manor was even without the medallion, but also knew they went the extra mile by accompanying him because of Maggie.

He saw the Manor in the mountain from the air, but noted how the agent was heading for the base of the mountain. Apparently, this Ravenholdt person didn't like others just flying into his manor. He shifted from his stormcrow form just before he reached the ground. The agent dismounted his gryphon and led him up the practically hidden path and into a tunnel. The agent made a hand signal and told the two guards that the night elf was with him then continued up the path to the manor.

He wasn't quite sure what to expect here considering the little information provided to him from Agent Strome. The agent with him made an inquiry and they were led upstairs to a room. The door was opened by Maggie. Seeing him, she said something quietly to the agent who stepped into the room, and Maggie stepped out. "Find something out?" She seemed to be wide awake for it being late into the night.

Dormir nodded his head, but felt a bit of a disappointment. He had allowed himself to hope that Ileeya was here, despite the fact that Maggie hadn't contacted him to say so. "I was able to trace her to the Eastern Kingdoms, northern region. But something blocked me from zeroing in on her exact location. I had hoped..."

"That she'd be here?" Maggie shook her head. "Baros is here, but no sign of the others. I'm afraid the disappearances are not connected."

**…**

The blindfold was removed from Lord Aron and he glanced around, seeing that he was once more in Jerold's laboratory. To his dismay, the other night elf, Jelune, was now strapped to the table, unconscious. "What did you do to him?"

"It doesn't concern you, Boxley. He wasn't part of the deal."

Lord Aron steeled his emotions. He wanted to help the night elf, but he had to keep himself focused. Saving Kristie and Amy was of topmost importance to him. He silently apologized to Jelune as he dropped the backpack in front of Jerold. "There's the gold, all of it! Now release the humans."

Jerold glanced at the bag and then at Aron. He ignored the gold and walked over to a table with various vials on it and picked one of them up. "I assume you still want the antidote...?" He didn't look at Aron, and the nobleman paused just long enough to wonder if the forsaken had figured out what he had done.

"Of course!" He held out his hand to take the vial from the forsaken. Jerold seemed slow in giving it to him and he grabbed it as soon as he could and drank it down. Well, at least the forsaken had kept his word on the antidote, though he didn't like the smile on his face. "Take me to them."

"As you wish."

Lord Aron forced himself not to fidget. The undead man was acting too...calm. He followed Jerold down the stairs and into the prison room where torches were lit to light the room once more. The women had been asleep and awoke from the sudden noise and light. Jerold pulled out the keys and unlocked Kristie's cell. "There's been a change in the deal, Mr. Boxley."

Lord Aron glared at Jerold, tensing up as he waited for Jerold to say what the change was.

"I've decided to start a new study on living...children."

A gasp was heard from Kristie as she shuffled over to where Amy was still waking up, rubbing her eyes. "I've paid for her release, Jerold!" Lord Aron put on his most authoritative voice.

"We are not in a political meeting, Boxley. You have no room to negotiate. Now take the woman and we'll escort you out of my home."

"I'm _not_ leaving Amy!" Kristie's voice sounded adamant. "I don't care how much you paid, Lord Aron, I am _not_ leaving her in the hands of that..that..._creature_!"

Aron spared Kristie a quick glance. That was his mistake. When he looked back at the forsaken, he saw only the vial with the yellow gas inside. His body relaxed and his mind seemed to retreat as things around him faded away.

**…**

Jerold pushed Aron into Kristie's cell and locked the door. "I'll give you time to think about it. I left an experiment running that really needs my attention. I'll be back in half an hour and you can let me know your decision." Jerold left the prison room with quick steps.

Kristie stayed with Amy and glanced in Jelune's direction only to find he wasn't there! She looked over at Ileeya. "Jelune's gone! Where-?"

She saw Ileeya's face pale. "Jerold must have taken him while we were asleep." Kristie had to wonder how the forsaken had managed that without waking any of them.

Kristie continued to hold Amy until Lord Aron came back to himself. She then gave Amy's hand a quick squeeze as she checked on the nobleman. "Lord Aron? Did you happen to see-"

She cut herself off when the nobleman looked around and did something that left Kristie flabbergasted. He took off his jacket and tunic, leaving his chest and arms bare. He thrust his arm towards Ileeya. "Can you read that?"

Kristie saw that on his upper arm, near his shoulder, were some words written in a slightly smudged ink, as though he had been in a hurry and put his tunic on before the ink had properly dried. Ileeya looked at the words with a frown. "I've not read words like those in a long time. It was part of my basic training. I think I can read them, though. Why?"

"Just do it. Read it out loud. Hurry, we don't have much time to find out if this will work." She read the words and a flash was seen briefly overhead. Ileeya gasped. "Did it work?" Lord Aron watched her intently. "Can you use your magic now?"

Ileeya muttered a spell and transformed into her cat form. Kristie grinned from ear to ear. "How in the-"

Lord Aron cut her off. "No time for explanations now. We need to figure out how to get him to open Ileeya's cage." He glanced at the night elf. "Can you fight in that form?"

She shifted back to her elf form and nodded. "It's not my calling, but I've learned enough that I think I can incapacitate Jerold." Kristie could hear a small bit of self-doubt in Ileeya's voice. They discussed options until Jerold came back. He seemed a bit distracted.

"Time is up. What is your decision?" Jerold watched the human woman intently.

Kristie glanced at Amy with worried eyes, and then at Lord Aron, who by this time had put his tunic and jacket back on. "I- I'll go with Lord Aron." She turned back to Amy, knowing the child understood that Kristie was playing a role, but needed to reassure her anyhow. "I'll be back for you. I promise. Be strong." She gave Amy a hug through the bars of the cell, then approached Jerold.

As she arrived next to Lord Aron, she noticed his blank face and she quickly stopped her breathing, refusing to breathe in as a flash of yellow moved by her face. This fast reaction was all that saved her from succumbing to the stun effect of the gas. But she hadn't been able to take in a deep breath before it, so she couldn't hold her breath for long. She also realized that she was going to have to attempt this without Aron's help.

Saying a quick prayer to the Light, she slapped her hand in front of her, smacking the yellow vial out of Jerold's hand. It went crashing to the ground, dissipating quickly. Even though he was dead, she could see the look of surprise on his face. His yellow eyes glowed brighter as he let out a growl, ready to say something, but she didn't let him. She grabbed his arm, that was still in the air from the slap, and pulled him into the cell and off-balance.

That's when she spotted the keys that he had dropped from his other hand. But she had to get closer to him to get them. She risked it. In a dive for the keys, she reached them before he could snatch them back up. But he was quick to react as well. He grabbed her wrist and his other hand reached to pull the keys out of her hand. She switched the keys to her other hand and shoved herself forward, knocking him off-balance again. He took her with him this time as they both fell to the stone floor.

She knew that despite his undead condition, or maybe because of it, he was stronger and she was going to lose the fight. But she wasn't about to let him have the keys. She tossed them in Ileeya's direction a split second before his elbow smashed into her face. Pain exploded as she could hear the sickening crunch of cartilage and felt blood flow from her broken nose. Black spots appeared in the corners of her vision as she fought not to lose consciousness.

But he was no longer fighting her. She could hear the jangling of keys. Did he get them? Or did Ileeya? A roar from a saber cat told her that Ileeya had transformed. She heard a thud and a scream as she was able to sit herself up just in time to see Jerold amazingly throw Ileeya's cat form off of him. He stood up, searching for something on the table against the wall. He found it, but had no time to use it, whatever it was. Ileeya had switched into her bear form and bashed him against the far wall. Then mangled him until he moved no more and the yellow glow in his eyes dimmed to almost nothing.

By this time, Lord Aron had come back to himself and he just stood there dumbfounded, watching the end of the fight. Ileeya transformed back into her elven form and grabbed the keys from her cell door. She went to Amy's cell and unlocked it as Lord Aron helped Kristie up. Amy and Kristie hugged as Ileeya ran to get Adorei and the group made their way upstairs.

Once upstairs, they found Jelune strapped to a table and immediately set him free. Ileeya cast a healing spell on him, unsure if he was injured or not. The spell revived him. He said that the forsaken had injected him with something, but had no idea what. Ileeya started to give Adorei to Kristie when she noticed the broken nose and blood on her face. She placed her hand over Kristie's nose and began a slow spell to fix the injury.

"Thank you." Kristie said, wiggling her healed nose, then took Adorei from Ileeya who now focused a cleansing spell on her brother. As Ileeya was doing this, Kristie turned to Lord Aron. "Do you think we're too late to save Kir and Adam?"

Lord Aron had a concerned look on his face. "We have no idea where they are. They may even be in Undercity by now."

"What about the stones?" Amy's voice broke the silence.

Kristie blinked as she had to think about what Amy was talking about. "Stones?"

Amy pulled a stone out of her pocket. "Is it an emergency?"

Kristie couldn't help but smile at Amy. "It is. And it's a good thought, Amy. But I'm afraid the stones don't work that way. We need to find _him_, not Adam find us. If you activate yours, his stone will only lead him to us." Kristie took out her own stone. Apparently, no one thinks stones are of any importance since they weren't taken from them. "Activate your stone."

Amy rubbed her stone. It glowed red and grew warm. Kristie stepped away from Amy and showed the child her stone. Kristie's stone glowed red as well. The woman turned and it's glow dimmed a little. She turned back to Amy and the glow grew brighter. Then she activated her own stone. It changed from red to gold. Amy's stone turned gold as well and grew brighter as it neared Kristie's stone. "See? There's no way we can get Adam to activate his stone..." Her voice trailed off as she began to get an idea. "Unless..."

**…**

"Duck!" Adam's voice could barely be heard over the noise. Just a few moments before, the forsaken mage had been attacked by a group of worgen. Unfortunately for them, three dreadguards were on patrol and had come to help the mage fight them off. A worgan had been slammed into the cage by one of them. Adam had to wonder if the worgen had scouted out the Sepulcher. This attack seemed planned. It started almost as soon as the road that lead into the Sepulcher had disappeared.

The fight continued as Adam felt an odd warm sensation against his hip. Had he been hurt somehow? His hand went to his hip and felt the hard stone there. He had forgotten all about the stone and pulled it from his pocket.

"What is that?" Kirlothenin's voice drifted over to him.

"A locator stone." It was red. That meant Amy was in trouble! But they had to know he couldn't get to them. Why would they activate it? Were they that desperate? Adam's grip tightened around the cage bar he was holding as it rocked yet again from Worgen crawling over it. The stone suddenly turned from red to gold.

"A what?"

"A simple device Lady Proudmoore and Mehlumis came up with when we were searching for Kristie and Prince Anduin in Tanaris. If one of our party found her he'd activate his stone and everyone would know to head in that direction. I gave Amy and Kristie their own stones before we went to Moonglade." He spoke absentmindedly. Now Kristie was in trouble? He had to get out of this cage! What could they be going through? The stone changed to red again. Now it was gold. Back to red.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Kir's voice was cut off as he had to shift position inside the small cage from a dreadguard's sword poking through the bars. In a flash, he used the chain between his shackles to force the sword out of the dreadguards grasp, who was busy trying to fend off a worgen's claws and fangs. He picked up the sword and buried it into the dreadguard's back.

"No." Adam wasn't paying attention to the fight outside the cage now. _Why were they activating their stones back and forth so fast? Were they separated? Maybe they were trying to find each other? Or...they were trying to find him?_ There was only one way to find out. Adam activated his stone. It glowed silver and he waited. If it stayed silver, then he knew that they were coming for him. If it continued flashing red and gold, then his assumption was wrong. It stayed silver.

**…**

"The cloth we found, could it be from a forsaken?" Maggie's green eyes flashed as their search for the missing families was narrowed. Most of the northern part of the Eastern Kingdoms was inhabited by the forsaken.

"Possibly. But what would-"

Maggie glanced at Dormir when he cut himself off. There was a look of recollection on his face. "Forsaken! She was sold to a forsaken when Kir had-" The night elf stopped himself from saying anything more, but Maggie knew what he was going to say.

"When Kirlothenin had kidnapped Ileeya." She waived off his questioning look. "SI:7 had a file on him. I read it before I came here. If this forsaken had-" Now it was her turn to cut herself off as she felt a warm sensation against her hip. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a glowing stone in confusion.

"What is-"

"Shh!" She held up a hand as she watched it change from red to gold. She had to recall what Adam had told her which one of them had which color. Red was...Amy. Or was it Kristie? It didn't matter. They now knew how to find them! After bouncing between the two colors, it finally settled on silver.

Maggie started to walk down the hall, then stopped and glanced back at the room. "Baros." She formed a fist in frustration, then glanced at Dormir's confused face. "I can't leave my position. Shaw is counting on me until he can get back. Here..." She gave him the stone. "It'll lead you to Adam. It glows brighter when pointed in the right direction and the closer you get to him. May the wind be at your back, Dormir. Bring them back here."

**…**

The group exited what they now can determine was a house. They must have been kept in the basement. None of them knew where they were. There was a small mountain between them and the direction the stone was indicating where Adam and Kirlothenin were. There was one skeletal horse in the small barn and the group looked at each other. "Ileeya can use her travel form to move quickly." Jelune was the first to speak. "I can ride this...thing and go with her."

"You're still weak, Jelune. And you have no weapons." Ileeya looked apologetically at her brother.

"Neither does anyone else," he growled back.

"No, but it's dark out and humans cannot see in the dark as we can. If we are to be separated one of us should be with each group. And... I'd rather you protect Adorei while I'm gone." This time she looked at Kristie and Lord Aron, not meaning any offense to them.

**...**

Kristie spoke up. "I'll go." Lord Aron was about to protest, but Kristie was adamant. "I know how the stone works, you don't." It was true, but the stone would still work in anyone's hands. He didn't have to know that.

She glanced at Amy. "Jelune, please protect my... daughter." Tears filled Amy's eyes as Kristie gave her a hug, her own eyes moist with tears. "You're a very brave girl, Amy. Do what Jelune tells you. He's in charge." She avoided looking at Lord Aron. She didn't want to give him any opportunity to protest and claim himself to be in charge. Jelune had more fighting experience than Lord Aron. She then threw a saddle on the skeletal horse, buckling it with an experienced hand. She and Ileeya took off around the mountain. Jelune, Lord Aron, and Amy would follow at a slower pace.

**…**

_Scritch!_ Kirlothenin's stolen sword finally weakened the hinge on the cage door so that the bolt holding it together came out. Now to loosen the other one and they could escape! His arm was beginning to cramp from its awkward position. Adam couldn't position the sword due to the way his wrists were bound together still. But the human had kept an eye out to watch if the forsaken mage or one of the dreadguards had noticed their efforts.

One dreadguard went down with a scream as a worgen finally got hold of his neck between his jaws and broke the neck with a bone-crunching snap. But the fight has taken it's toll on the worgen pack. The wolf-men were dwindling in numbers and soon will have to either succeed in their attack or retreat. This didn't leave much time for Kirlothenin and Adam to escape.

With all of his strength, Kirlothenin forced the blade of the sword in between the hinge and the bolt holding it there and pulled. The bolt scraped slowly at first, then a loud 'pop' was heard as it finally came out. They were free! Kirlothenin and Adam quickly exited the cage, being careful to avoid the fighting. They didn't know if the worgen were friendly to them or not, but they didn't want to take any chances.

"Give me the sword, Kir!"

"You can't use it bound up as you are."

"I'm still better skilled than you are with a sword!"

"In this case, I doubt that!" The two stood back to back, watching the fighting going on around them. "Human, I was a battle-mage of the Kirin Tor before the third war! And I was a battle-mage in Prince Kael'Thas' magorial army before joining the Scryers in Shattrath! Believe me when I tell you, I know how to use a sword!"

Adam decided not to argue. He quickly spied a dagger in a dead worgen and pulled it out. The shorter blade was better anyhow for having his wrists bound together as they were. "I got your back, elf."

"No. I got _your_ back, human."

Adam allowed himself a glance at the mage and saw amusement in the elf's eyes. He shot a grin back at him. "We got each others backs."

**…**

The grey rat scuttled into the room in it's search for food. When it saw the body, it paused. It was a rotting corpse. It didn't care that it was rotting, but it wasn't what the rat had expected to find. Still, food was food. He slowly approached the corpse and sniffed. The smell wasn't all that great, but it ignored that fact. It opened its mouth and jabbed its sharp teeth into the flesh, intent on taking a bite out of it.

Something grabbed it around it's middle and the rat let out a loud squeal of surprise. What had grabbed it? It didn't see dim yellow eyes growing closer. It merely continued its squeals and thrashing attempts to free itself. But all things come to an end, including the rat. Just as it had sunk it's teeth into the flesh of the corpse, so too, did the corpse sink its teeth into the rat.

**...**

A quick freezing of their feet told Kirlothenin and Adam that the forsaken mage was well aware of their escape attempt. She cast a fireball into a worgen, who ran off, trying to douse the flames that exploded all over him. The downside of being a worgen was the flammable fur all over their bodies. The mage now turned her full attention on the escapees. "Do you really think it so easy to escape me?" A worgen pounced to attack her, but quickly found itself polymorphed into a sheep. The rest of the attackers were busy with the last dreadguard and a ranger who had come upon the fray.

"Do you really think we'll just sit around and let you turn us into pincushions for your apothecaries?" Kirlothenin's voice was just as sarcastic as hers. "I may not have my magic, forsaken, but I know how mages fight!" He swung the sword down in just the right spot to break the ice holding his feet to the ground. He knew better than to charge the mage. He freed Adam who then vanished the way only rogues could do. Kirlothenin knew automatically what to do. He hoped the rogue did, too.

With a quick dash to his left, Kirlothenin distracted the mage, who was casting a frostbolt towards him. Kirlothenin dodged and rolled and did all he could to keep her focused on him. "Is that all you got, forsaken?" He taunted her for as long as he could.

"I haven't even begun to fight, traitor!"

Kirlothenin could feel himself tiring out. Neither he, nor Adam had eaten anything for a day and a half at least. There was limited energy available to him. But he also knew that the forsaken had been fighting for awhile now and she had to be low on energy as well. He calculated how fast it should take Adam to get behind her. Any second now...

**...**

The forsaken's face grew wide in surprise as Adam appeared behind her, his dagger in her back. The mage fell to the ground, grabbing for something out of her pack. She found it just before Adam kicked the pack away. There was just enough time for her to drink the red potion before Adam stood over her with his dagger raised. But before he could make the final stab that would kill her, he was knocked to his side. Adam quickly recovered and turned into a defensive crouch when he saw who had attacked him. Kirlothenin!

Had the blood elf double-crossed him? Kirlothenin stood there, pale as a ghost, just staring at the mage, whose cowl had come off her head. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. The sword fell from his hand as he whispered one word. "N'lar."


	11. Chapter 11

"Who the fel is N'Lar?"

Adam's voice broke through Kirlothenin's shock and he absentmindedly answered, "My wife."

"You're what?"

Kirlothenin ignored him as he studied the surprised face of the forsaken woman on the ground. Her black hair is now covered with some sort of green mildew. Her skin, now an ashen gray. But he saw and recognized the scar on her jaw near her ear- a scar his thumb had traced numerous times since it had been created. Her warm, blue eyes were gone, replaced by a cold yellow light. The slight upturn that used to adorn her mouth was now in a permanent scowl. One of her long elven ears was destroyed, cut short.

In his mind, he could remember her laugh with happiness. They had grown up together, childhood sweethearts. He never had to court her. They had just naturally come together. Life with her had been, what he had considered then, perfect. Then came Arthas. His betrayal of his people. His razing of Lordaeron, and eventually Quel'Thalas.

Kirlothenin's face hardened as he remembered hearing the news. He could feel the dark path of hatred and vengeance pull at him as it had done before. His green eyes lowered to N'Lar's abdomen. Did that undead body still carry their unborn child?

"No you don't!" Adam's voice broke through his reverie as the rogue hit N'Lar in just the right place to sap her senseless. Kirlothenin raised his hands to cast a spell at the man who dared hit his wife. Then he stopped as he heard the sound of the chain between the shackles he wore and he came back to the present. Adam had stopped N'Lar from casting a spell. Didn't she even remember him? Some forsaken don't recall who they were in life. Would she still attack him if she knew?

"I don't know what is going on here, Kirlothenin, but we're not out of trouble, yet. Here come those worgen!"

Kirlothenin stooped and picked his sword back up then placed himself between N'Lar and the worgen.

As the worgen approached, Adam stepped forward and spoke before they could attack. "Are you Gilnean?" Kirlothenin watched the worgen carefully. He didn't like the way they looked at N'Lar.

"No. We're Hillsbrad refugees." The leader didn't look at Adam. He was eyeing Kirlothenin as if he knew he was going to have to go through him to get to the forsaken. "Get out of the way blood elf! Or we'll take care of you just as we will take care of the _forsaken_!" The worgen practically spat out the word as another worgen approached.

"Sir! There's some women here who say they are looking for-"

"Adam!"

Kirlothenin saw a blur of auburn as Kristie ran up and gave Adam a hug and kiss.

"Nevermind," the worgen scout said. "She found him."

If Kristie was here, then... Kirlothenin's eyes looked behind the scout to see a cheetah stand on her hind legs and transform into Ileeya. Relief flooded Kirlothenin and he took a step towards her, but stopped. If he moved, the worgen would tear through N'Lar. He can't lose her again. Kirlothenin's face hardened. How was he going to explain?

Ileeya started towards him, then stopped with confusion. Then her eyes grew wide. She spoke a few words and a bright light shown behind Kirlothenin followed by the sound of plants quickly growing out of the ground. He turned just in time to see N'Lar entangled in some roots, her hands up to her eyes, blinded by the bright light. Had she been about to attack him?

"N'Lar! It's me! It's Kirlothenin. Don't you remember me?" He heard Ileeya gasp behind him. He will have to talk to her later. Right now, he was focused on his wife. He reached up to touch her face, but she batted his hand away, giving him a glare.

"My name is Lara, elf!"

The forsaken looked at him with hatred. Kirlothenin felt a pang in his heart. His wife didn't even remember him. "Your name is N'lar Dawnwhisper, former mage of the Kirin Tor. We were married. You left for home to set up our new business while I finished packing things up from Dalaran. We- We were starting a family..." Kirlothenin could hear the desperation in his voice. He didn't care.

The light faded away and N'Lar lowered her hands. She glanced at everyone watching her and settled on Kirlothenin. "I- I don't remember who I was in life. But, if what you say is true, I'm willing to try to remember." She glanced at the worgen. "That is, if I live long enough to try."

Kirlothenin turned to the worgen now. "This forsaken is under my protection." He ignored a gasp from someone nearby. "I ask for safe passage for her, myself, and my companions to Alliance lands. Better yet, if someone could take these shackles off of me, I'll gladly provide a portal."

"Now wait a minute!" Adam stepped forward, obviously not liking the idea of taking the forsaken with them. Kirlothenin shot him a hard glare.

"We refuse to protect that undead creature!" The lead worgen snapped in anger.

"Look who's calling who a creature." N'Lar snarked back at him.

"Enough!" Adam stepped over to N'Lar and sapped her again. Kirlothenin growled at him, but did nothing else. Perhaps it was for the best. The less N'Lar spoke right now, the more likely they will be helped by the worgen.

"I don't know what exactly is going on here," Kristie finally spoke up, looking at the lead worgen. "I ask for a temporary cease of hostilities. Please let us talk to your leaders and we ask that you give us temporary shelter until we can do so."

Ileeya stepped forward, touching the worgen's arm. No one had noticed that he had scratches on his arm and was bleeding, except her. She said a spell under her breath and healed the worgen's arm. "If there is anyone else in need of my healing abilities, bring them to me."

The worgen looked at his arm, then Ileeya, then Kirlothenin as a couple of other worgen approached Ileeya. "Fine. We'll take you to the Council only because we could use the druid's healing." He turned around. "Let's go!"

**…**

The undead do not dream. They have no need to sleep, though they do need to rest their bodies. Yet images were flitting in and out of his mind as if he were experiencing a dream. Some of the images lingered so little, he could not recall what they were just a second after they had gone. But other images were vivid and intense, and remained in his memory.

Yet, some of them made no sense. A woman's face twisted in pain. A pink arrowhead flying through the air, yet landing nowhere. The view of a snow-covered tree from underneath it. Lady Sylvannas' red eyes looking into his. A fire in a hearth. The light tinkling sound of metal on metal. There were more and some of them repeated themselves.

"Jerold."

The images faded as the forsaken's vision came back into focus. He was still clutching the half devoured rat. The flesh and blood of the rodent had sustained him enough until Gavor had returned. The warlock held a glowing green orb over Jerold, letting it go. The orb floated down and Jerold's body absorbed it. The forsaken felt the dark, magical energies that animated his body and allowed his soul to reside within strengthen.

He slowly sat up and noted the empty cells. They had attacked him. They had escaped. Worse yet, they had ruined the delicate experiment he had started on the one named Jelune. Something inside him seemed to let go. The full tumult of emotions that he had held back since first being awoken by the Dark Lady came rushing through him. His yellow eyes glowed brighter as the warlocks health orb finished it's work on his body.

Jerold stood as he allowed the emotions to finish their onslaught. His body trembled in anger and the desire for revenge. He knew what he was going to do. He was going to find them- each, and every one. And he will show them just how much of these emotions he had been holding back. For now, however, he had to reign those emotions in, just enough so that he could speak.

"Summon your demons, Gavor. We go after them."

Gavor smiled with a grotesque look of satisfaction. "Can I have the humans?"

"All except the child. The elves are mine."

Now Gavor frowned. "You're obsessing again."

"Yes." A simple smile of acceptance spread across Jerold's face. "Yes I am. And frankly Gavor, I don't care if you disapprove."

**…**

"It stinks!"

Jelune gave Amy a patient smile. "It's half dead, that's why. But now that I've tamed him, he'll help fight for us and protect us. Bears are good at protecting their companions ...even plagued ones." He gave the girl a pat on the head and glanced at Lord Aron who was holding Adorei. The man had to take the infant so that Jelune could tame the bear. The noble had a peculiar look on his face and Jelune had to ask what was on his mind.

Lord Aron was silent for a few minutes before answering. "Grandchildren." As he didn't elaborate, Jelune continued on without asking any more. They were approaching the edge of Lordamere Lake. Ileeya's and Kristie's tracks led this way. He knew the women were moving too fast to really attract some of the animals and other creatures that roamed the area. Plus, he trusted Ileeya to stay out of danger, though he still worried for her. Anything can go wrong here.

His small group, however, did not have the luxury of speed to protect them. At the first opportunity, he had tamed a large bear. It was extra protection he could provide, though they were still without weapons. He and Aron had grabbed large sticks. Sticks were useless against weapons, though could be somewhat useful against some of the smaller animals.

"Mrglrglrglmrh!"

Instinct kicked in as he heard the murloc behind him. He quickly turned around, shifting the stick between himself and the direction he had heard the amphibious creature. The move saved him from getting stabbed by the murloc's spear. The slimy creature's height came only to Jelune's waist. He flicked his stick and was able to swipe the murloc away from him. The creature wasn't alone. There were three others with him, but they didn't attack. Instead, seeing their comrade so easily defeated, ran for the safety of the waters of Lordamere Lake.

Lord Aron had given Adorei to Amy to hold so that he could help fight. The noble began to chase after the murlocs, but Jelune reached out and pulled him back quickly. "Stay away from the water!"

The human glared at him. "Why? It's just a few cowardly murlocs."

Jelune gave him a cool look. "Don't be a fool, Boxley. Murlocs fight best in the water. Not to mention they prefer to fight in swarms. There's probably fifty murlocs waiting out of sight underneath the water. You won't win." He glanced down to see that the murloc he had batted away had dropped his spear. Picking it up, he sheathed it in his belt. Well, they had one weapon at least...even if it was a bit small.

The trail lead into these hills. "I guess Ileeya remembered her lessons and avoided the water as well." Jelune muttered to himself as he began to climb. They continued until they came down. The trail led right by the water's edge and the hunter hesitated. Were the murlocs this far north?

He told the others to stay back and commanded the bear to walk over by the water. Nothing happened to it. The murlocs must not be this far north of their small village. He walked up to the bear to give him a pat of approval, then turned to signal for the other two to come down. That's when they grabbed him. Slimy, three-fingered hands reached out of the water and with amazing strength, pulled him under the freezing water. The last thing he heard before the water muffled his hearing was Amy screaming in surprise.

Jelune had managed to take in a fast, deep breath before he was forcefully submerged. He pulled out the spear and tried to open his eyes under the water. He could see numerous murky shapes in the deeper part of the lake. He tried to swim up, but hands pulled him down. Some of the murlocs stabbed at him with their small spears. Some came and actually tried to take a bite out of him with their sharp teeth.

He batted a couple of them away and once more tried to rise to the surface. All this exertion was using up what little air he had held in his burning lungs. He had to get back to the surface quickly! The bear he had tamed was in the water now. It batted at the murlocs as well, but didn't seem to be putting a dent in their numbers.

Jelune grabbed the hindquarters of the bear above him and pulled. The bear was pushed further down into the water. But Jelune had finally been able to get his head above the water. He took in a desperate breath of air just before he was pulled under once more. The water now had a red color to it from the blood escaping out of his own body. His fight was desperate now. For every murloc he killed or injured, three more seemed to appear. They didn't bother trying to hold him down unless he tried to go to the surface. Nor did they try to make any killing blows. They knew what they were doing. He was going to die either from lack of oxygen or from the loss of blood. They didn't need to risk their lives in the strength of a killing blow.

His lungs burned. The need for air was overwhelming. He tried again to go to the surface, but was pulled back down again. That's when his body took over his will to hold his breath. His mouth opened and he gasped for air, only to take in water instead. His body convulsed in revolt against the foreign substance in his lungs. He knew he was as good as dead. His limbs went limp and the edges of his vision grew dark as the swarm seemed to sense hid imminent death and moved in to surround him now...

"Come on! Breathe Dammit!"

Jelune's senses returned to him and the sudden need to cough blocked out everything else. Heaving to the side, the water in his lungs came spurting out. His chest hurt as he drew in a huge gasp of air. The sweet and salty taste of the air around him was like a drug. He couldn't get enough as he continued to gasp and take it in.

"Thank Elune!"

He felt the familiar sensation of Ileeya's rejuvenation spell and suddenly started to shiver. Opening his eyes, he saw he was on a wooden dock, surrounded by …worgen? Adam was kneeling over him. His sister's face came into view and he saw her muttering another healing spell. Someone threw something over him and he finally found his voice. "Th- th- the others... Safe?" It was hard to speak through chattering teeth and a raw throat.

"We're safe, Jelune." He recognized Lord Aron's voice and turned his head to see the man standing with Amy. She wasn't holding Adorei. Where was his niece? Turning, he looked until he saw Kristie holding the infant. Next to her was Kirlothenin. Jelune relaxed and closed his eyes.

**…**

Ileeya climbed into the small boat that Jelune had been placed in. She held her daughter now, though she was very tired. Jelune had needed a lot of healing to close up the numerous wounds on his body. She now worried he would catch a fever.

When they had heard Amy's scream, they had quickly moved in her direction. But Adam and the worgen were faster. Some of them were already in the water, fighting ferociously as Ileeya and Kristie had tried just to decipher what Amy was crying about. Jelune had been pulled out of the water by the worgen before she could respond.

One of the worgen had punched him in the abdomen by the time she and Adam had reached her brother. Adam had immediately leaned over the night elf, giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It had been a tense few moments as they had waited to see if the hunter would survive. When he had suddenly coughed out the water in his lungs, Ileeya couldn't help but thank Elune he was alive.

Kirlothenin and the forsaken climbed into the boat she was in, snapping her attention back to the present. Ileeya gave the forsaken a cautious glance. So this was the woman whose death had caused Kirlothenin to travel down his dark path. The forsaken looked back at her with a detached curiosity. The longer N'Lar looked, the more her face seemed to turn into a look of cunning, almost as if she were planning something in her head.

Ileeya didn't trust the woman. She looked away, unable to stand the forsaken's gaze any longer.

"Ileeya, I-" Kirlothenin started.

She held up her hand to stop him from speaking. "I'm too tired to discuss this right now, Kir." The escape, the race to rescue Kirlothenin and Adam, the intense healing of her brother had all taken it's toll on her. Add to that the fact they had little to eat or sleep and it was the middle of the night and Ileeya just could not even think any more on this new development, much less discuss it with the mage.

The worgen and humans all piled into two other boats and they all rowed for the island in the middle of the lake. The way the Hillsbrad worgen surrounded them as they took them to the keep on the Island made Ileeya feel as though she were a prisoner yet again. But, a part of her knew she was not. In fact, these worgen seemed to show her a bit more respect than any of the others. Perhaps because she was a druid? She wasn't sure.

They arrived at the keep and it was a relief to be able to sit down. Someone brought her a glass of water as the leaders of the makeshift settlement were awoken and dressed to meet the new arrivals. Adam's leather bonds had been cut finally, and he was able to move around freely. In fact, they were all allowed to move freely, except Kirlothenin and N'Lar. Ileeya couldn't help conjuring up the image once given to her of what N'Lar had looked like in life. She had black hair and blue eyes. She seemed to be pretty for a high elf.

Ileeya noted to herself that this woman had never become a blood elf. If she remembers her past, would she hold it against Kirlothenin for joining others in becoming a blood elf? Ileeya pushed the thought from her tired mind, along with any other thought of N'Lar. She checked on Jelune again. He was sleeping on a makeshift cot, under some blankets. His skin felt warmer finally. Only time will tell if he catches a cold. Night elves were susceptible to that now that they were no longer immortal.

Eight men and women who made up the Council, the leaders of the Hillsbrad Refugees, entered the room finally. They eyed the newcomers with suspicion. Glares of hatred were thrown in Kirlothenin's and N'Lar's direction. Lord Aron Boxley stepped forward to speak for the group. None of them argued his self-appointed role as their ambassador.

"Good evening, Council men and women. My name is Lord Aron Boxley. We are very grateful for your hospitality. Our group here has just escaped imprisonment at the hands of a forsaken apothecary. May we stay here for the night? Or better yet, could you remove the shackles that prevent our mage from using his magic?" He nodded his head in Kirlothenin's direction.

One of the women stepped forward. "I'm afraid releasing your mage is out of the question. He protects a forsaken, whom we will have no part in harboring! While we hold no personal grudge against his kind, while he protects her, he is unwelcome as well."

Lord Aron looked contrite. "Perhaps if they stayed outside the keep-"

"No!"

The word was said in unison by both Ileeya and Kristie. Outside the keep, there was less protection from the wild animals and murlocs, not to mention the forsaken. Ileeya didn't care if N'Lar was left out there, but she wasn't going to let Adorei's father be killed because he felt this odd need to protect this woman who didn't even remember him.

"If all of you protect them, then you are not welcome either! The forsaken are unholy bastards who bombed our homes in Southshore just to test their horrid plague! We lost hundreds of people! We had to retreat fast and this place is the last stand we have!" This time it was a man who spoke vehemently.

"We waited and waited for help to arrive from Stormwind, but it never came. It finally came down to accepting the lesser of two evils just to save ourselves! Drink the blood of a worgen to become immune to undeath, or become undead ourselves."

The original woman speaker joined back in the conversation. "So, you see, we will never harbor a forsaken! We're sorry to say this to fellow Alliance members, but as long as she is a part of your group, you will not be welcome here!"

Lord Aron's face masked his true emotions at the moment. Ileeya truly could not tell what he was feeling right now. "I can understand your feelings on the matter. And I can assure you as a member of the House of Nobles, now that we know of your predicament, you will be sent supplies and reinforcements as soon as we can return to Stormwind." He glanced around at the group, his eyes lingering on Adam for a moment longer than the rest. "Would you be willing to reach a compromise?" He held up his hand before the council could refuse. "Please hear what I have to say. We have among our number a talented druid who is a strong healer. Do you have citizens who are in need of her services?"

The council members glanced at each other, not saying anything. But it was obvious in their faces that Ileeya's services were indeed needed. "We will leave," Lord Aron continued, "but perhaps we can linger long enough for her to provide her services to your people."

Ileeya wasn't the happiest about his making this offer without consulting her, but mainly because she was already tired. The water helped to revive her a little, however, and she did desire to be of help to these people. Still, the council hesitated. Their hatred for the forsaken ran very deep.

Kirlothenin caught Ileeya's attention. He had a concerned look on his face. "Maybe there is something else you can provide for them," he said. Ileeya gave him a confused look. "Remember the goldthorn?" It took a minute for Ileeya to figure out what he was talking about. But then she remembered the time when she had tried to bribe hers and Jelune's freedom away from Kirlothenin by growing some goldthorn herbs for him to sell. "Are you up for it?" he asked.

Ileeya considered their options. It would all be easiest if Kirlothenin weren't protecting his former...wife. Ileeya frowned. Was she still his wife technically? She died...but- Ileeya shook the thoughts out of her head. And focused on now. "I...think I can." She looked at the council members. "If you want, I can help some of your gardens grow...quickly. You'll not have to worry for food for awhile. But in order to be able to do so, I will need some rest, food, and water. My friends will need it, too."

The lead councilman addressed the noble. "Lord Aron, your company may have three hours. No more. The forsaken will be kept in the dungeon for the duration." Ileeya saw Kirlothenin frown, but he seemed to accept the compromise. He glanced at Ileeya once more before turning and following N'Lar out of the room, presumably to make sure nothing happened to his wife. Before heading out, the councilman looked at Lord Aron again. "Your druid better fulfill her promises!"

Food and water was brought to Ileeya and her friends. She was glad to be able to provide this service for them, but she was very tired. She told the Hillsbrad Council that she would need at least half an hour to eat and rest. It wasn't enough, but it was all she felt she could spare. As she ate, Kirlothenin returned and sat beside her. He tried to speak to her again and she shook her head. "Not now."

Kirlothenin scowled for a moment, then sighed. He moved away, giving her her space. She knew he wanted to talk about N'Lar. But she couldn't do anything about that. She finished her meal quickly and then went off to a quiet corner of the room to relax and meditate in order to prepare herself for her upcoming tasks.


	12. Chapter 12

Maggie could feel the call of slumber, but refused to succumb. She began to pace the room silently in order not to wake up Mr. Alexston. The movement should help her stay awake. She wasn't used to pulling such a long shift. Where was Shaw? She had no idea where he went or why. That was Mathias for you. Secretive to the end.

Maggie switched her thoughts to Adam and Kristie. There were few people she would call her friend. They were at the top of her list. She worried for them. For the umpteenth time, she wished she could have abandoned her post and gone after them instead of asking Dormir to do it. She comforted herself that the druid had many years of experience under his belt. Still, it didn't change the fact that she wanted to go find Adam, Kristie, and Amy herself.

The door began to open and Maggie immediately vanished. She crouched and stayed on the balls of her feet, ready to move in whichever direction she needed to in case the person entering the room was unwanted. Light from the hallway shadowed the man's face, but Maggie relaxed as she recognized the form of Mathias Shaw. She let herself be seen and approached, whispering, "He's asleep. Did you find anything?" She had news of her own, but was curious as to where he had gone.

"No. I hear you had company while I was gone." Mathias changed the subject rather quickly.

Maggie kept the disappointment from showing on her face. She was curious about where he had gone. Instead, she nodded and told him about the locator stone and giving it to Dormir.

Mathias nodded his head. "Is Simpson still here?" He inquired after the agent who had brought Dormir.

"Yes. I sent him off to another room a couple of hours ago to get some sleep."

"I'll wake him in a few minutes to take a shift. Go get some rest. We'll both need our sleep. I have a feeling it's going to be a busy day tomorrow."

Maggie nodded and headed for the room next to Alexston's to get some sleep.

**…**

Lara paced back and forth in her cell. Anger and frustration surrounded her. These Hillsbrad refugees had some way of preventing her from using her magic. She couldn't detect any magic-prevention wards, then again, most of the time, one never could. She had hoped to teleport out of here. Who knew they had the resources for a ward?

Her mind raced back to the fight with the worgen. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to stop the pack of worgen from killing her and freeing the prisoners. But when the three dreadguards showed up, she had been sure they'd win. That is, until the prisoners broke free. That damn rogue! She growled to herself. He would have killed her if it hadn't been for the sappy mage and his insistence that she was this N'Lar person.

Lara stopped her pacing as she recalled his automatic defense of her from the worgen. That's when she knew. She just needed to play along and he would keep them from harming her. Oh the nobility of the living. Jerold was right. The living were too emotional.

She paused her thoughts to think back. Was she his wife in life? Was she this, N'Lar? She tried to recall anything from her days in the living world. Nothing. She shrugged. It mattered not. She would use him and discard him when the time was right. He had obviously moved on anyhow. That night elf female- the one Jerold had bought, was his interest now. Lara allowed a small grin to cross her face. Maybe that knowledge could be used against him at some point in the future.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs could be heard. She looked up and saw Kirlothenin descending. She gave him a smirk. "Is it time to leave now?"

"Not yet." He was studying her, probably trying to see her as she was when she was alive.

Lara accommodated him by spreading her arms and turning around. "Get a good look? Do you still think that I am she?" She could see emotions flicker in his eyes. If she could breathe, she would have sighed.

"You are N'Lar, whether you remember it or not."

"So what if I am? Are you going to come claim me as your own?" Her sarcasm dripped heavily as she watched him lean against a wall.

"N'Lar... I-"

Oh great! He's going to pour his heart out to her. She would have turned her back to him, but thought better of it. She still needed to be on his good side. He was her ticket out of here. Instead, she stood there and watched him.

"I had hoped that you hadn't been..." The mage didn't seem to be able to look at her.

"I hadn't been what? Risen?" She couldn't help but sneer at this. "What did you expect? That Arthas," if she could spit, she would have at the mention of his name, "would leave me dead in eternal darkness while he raised just about everyone else?"

"No. Yes." He glanced up at her with a frustrated look. "N'Lar-"

"Lara!"

"...Beyond all, I had hoped that you hadn't been killed, period. I looked for you. I risked all trying to find you. But when I didn't find your body, I knew..."

Lara had no idea how to respond so she kept silent.

"Then when the blood elves joined the Horde, I considered looking for you in Undercity to see if you had survived." He looked away again. "I...chose not to. I wanted to remember you as you were when you were alive."

Lara couldn't help it. Her snarkiness responded for her. "Oh, I see. You loved your wife enough to rush to find her body, but not enough to go find her if she were undead!"

"I didn't mean it that-"

"Oh please. Forget the platitudes. I'm not this N'Lar you think I am!"

"You are." Now his eyes bore into hers and he grabbed the bars of the cell for emphasis. "I can tell you how you got that scar on your jaw. I can tell you that you have another scar on your back right side just under your ribcage. I can tell you have-" He cut himself off and winced.

Lara didn't care how she got any of her scars. But she was curious what pained him just now. "I have...?" She slowly prompted.

"Our...unborn child...inside you." His voice was merely a whisper and his eyes were actually misting over!

Lara's hand went to her abdomen as this sunk in. No one knew about the dead fetus inside her except Jerold. For the first time, she had to consider that maybe, just maybe this elf was right. Maybe she _was_ this N'Lar.

**…**

"Adam? Can we talk?"

Adam turned around and made a shushing motion. Amy had just fallen asleep on a mat. He stood up and walked to the other side of the room with Kristie. "What is it?"

"I think you should know how we escaped."

"I'm sure you used that smart head of yours. Is Jerold...?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Ileeya did a good job on him in her bear form. But...well, I don't know. I didn't take a good look at him, not to mention I'm not sure how to tell if an undead is...uh, dead."

Adam wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead on hers. "Are you okay?" He knew she still had an occasional nightmare from their last adventure together in which she had killed a goblin in order to save his life.

"I'm just glad to be free from there." She fell silent for a minute then took in a deep breath and let it out. "It was your- It was Lord Aron who got us out of there."

Adam frowned and let her go, though he stayed where he was. His eyes flicked to the nobleman sitting by Amy. For a brief moment, their eyes met. Adam looked away. He said nothing.

"Adam, he offered to pay for our release."

He scoffed. "Figures. Money answers everything, to him."

"Adam, he tried. And he wants... He wants to reconcile with you."

He looked at her now with narrowed eyes. "Has he been bothering you?"

"He approached me yesterday morning before you arrived to pick us up. He wanted me to speak to you about talking to him."

"You can tell him he's wasting his time!" Adam growled out.

"Adam-"

He shrugged her away and turned from her. He didn't want to talk about it, period! To his surprise, she grabbed his arm and turned him back to face her, a determined and angry look on her face. "Adam, don't turn away from me!" Her voice was quiet, but seething. "You've been holding this grudge for nearly fourteen years! How long will it take-"

"Never, Kristie! He killed my brother!" Adam saw a few heads turn in their direction and he realized that he had raised his voice a little too much. He took hold of Kristie's elbow and led her outside the building for more privacy. "He's a selfish man who'd do anything to save his own skin, Kristie, including sending his eldest and favorite son out into a mob of rioters that killed him!"

"And he's regretted that decision, Adam! And if he's as selfish as you believe him to be, then I wouldn't be here, standing in front of you right now!"

Adam looked into her flashing hazel eyes with a little confusion. He flexed his hands open and closed as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. A part of him wanted to ask what had happened. The grudge in him kept him silent.

"He didn't have any gold on him. He had to go to Ironforge to get it."

"Jerold let him go?" Adam was confused about this.

"Yes. But only after giving him the option of taking a deadly poison to ensure his return. Jerold gave him the antidote when he returned. I think Jerold did something to him to prevent him from telling anyone about us. But you'll have to ask him if you want to know any more." She rubbed her arms. "He somehow got someone to write something on his arm. When Ileeya read it, she was able to use her magic again."

Adam ran his hand through his hair, pulling a few strands out of his ponytail. He felt at war with himself. He was still angry at his father. After so many years of hating him, he couldn't just turn around and forget what he did. He said this to Kristie.

She put her hand on his arm. "I can understand how you feel, Adam. But..." She glanced out into the night sky. "Just a little food for thought, here. Who else do we know that held a grudge because of the death of a family member and never let it go?"

Adam couldn't think of any of their friends that would fit that description.

"Marissa."

Adam snapped his head at her. "How can you compare her to me? She's insane!"

"And you're not. But would we have been in the situation we were in if she hadn't held the grudge over the death of her father?"

Adam couldn't help but agree that Kristie was right about that. But he couldn't admit that to her right now. She kissed him. "Adam, no matter what, I love you. And I will support whatever you decide. But I really feel that before you do decide anything, you need to talk to your father." She left him there to go back inside and let him have some time alone to think.

**…**

Ileeya finished talking to the few people who were in charge of the gardens, satisfied that they knew what they were doing. She didn't feel it was right to help their gardens grow if the people couldn't take care of them correctly. Besides, the talks also gave her time to rest after healing their wounded. They had two healers among their numbers. Two. That's it. It was no wonder they were worn out with the constant attacks they have to deal with, and needed her help. She wondered if the Cenarion Circle could send a couple of druids here to help out.

Now the only thing left to do was grow the gardens. She hadn't attempted this before. It was always one plant at a time whenever she did increase the growth time. She closed her eyes and let herself relax, just enough to concentrate. She quietly asked of the plants to grow faster for her as she fed them nature's magic to help them along. At first she concentrated on one plant, then extended herself to the others in the garden. When she finished, she found she was successful. But there were two more gardens to go.

She rested a few minutes before moving on to the next garden. Kristie and Amy were on either side of her, ready to help her in whatever way they could. Basically, that meant giving her some water to drink when she needed it. When one uses magical energy, it tends to make one quite thirsty.

When she was finished, she drank her water and sat down. All she wanted to do now was sleep. But the three hours were up and they had to leave. But leave to where? She had no idea where they were other than on an island in Lordaemere Lake. The Hillsbrad people were grateful to her for what she could do for them, but they were also reserved and bitter from all the fighting with the forsaken.

Apparently only Adam and his father had been up here before, even then, fairly briefly. The small group was led to the water's edge on the north side of the island where a rowboat awaited. They were given a couple of skins of water and some dry bread. It wasn't much, but considering their situation, it was very generous.

"As much as you'd want to avoid the place, I'd suggest you row closer to the Ruins of Lordaeron than to the other islands in this lake. This is the only one that is not swarming with murlocs. Stay in the boat and they may leave you alone. There are also lake frenzies, a deadly fish, but they usually stay near the bottom of the lake." One of the Hillsbrad people took the time to tell them of the dangers. He was in his human form and kept glancing at Amy. Ileeya thought that perhaps he didn't want to scare the girl.

"I wish you could stay with us, Ms. Whitestar. We could use your help."

Ileeya gave him a tired smile. "I wish I could help further, but I need to make sure my family and friends arrive home safely. But, if you don't mind, I plan to tell the Cenarion Circle about you and see if they can send someone to help you here."

"That is much appreciated." The man then glared as Kirlothenin and N'Lar approached the boat. Ileeya didn't like the way the forsaken looked at any of them. She couldn't help but think that she would betray them at the first possible opportunity. She checked on Adorei, who was being held by Kristie. Jelune was awake, but still very weak from his blood loss. They laid him down in the bottom of the boat. Ileeya lay down next to him, hoping to get some rest while they traveled.

Kristie, Adorei, Amy, and Lord Aron sat on one small bench in the boat. Kirlothenin, N'Lar, and Adam sat on the bench on the other end. Kirlothenin and Adam would be rowing. The Hillsbrad refugee helped push them into the water and they were off.

The travel was slow, but peaceful so far. After awhile, they could see one of the great walls of the Ruins of Lordaeron, underneath which lay the forsaken city of Undercity. Ileeya had felt herself drift in and out of sleep so she wasn't quite sure how much time had passed. There was little talking among the passengers of the boat. It was almost as if they were afraid of drawing any attention to themselves.

A splash of water could be heard in the distance. Ileeya sat up and looked around. The man had said to watch out for the murlocs. Would they attack the boat?

"Lie back down, Ilee. You need your rest."

She looked at Kirlothenin. He had a worried look on his face. This touched her and she gave him a brief smile, but wasn't sure about lying back down. They weren't out of danger, yet. Another splash. This time it was closer. Ileeya turned and peered over the edge of the boat. It was dark out still, though she figured the sun should be coming out soon. Jelune had fallen back asleep. Only she could see in the dark night. She was needed, still.

Two more splashes, and this time she saw something break the water, but couldn't make out what it was. "Over there." She pointed out to where she saw the splash. The others looked in that direction just as a slimy hand reached out of the water and grabbed Ileeya's wrist. She screamed out in surprise and felt herself pulled halfway out of the boat. The only reason she hadn't been pulled all the way into the water was because her lower half of her body was bent and had caught on the side of the boat.

She tried to pull herself back in as Kirlothenin reached out for her. But more three-fingered hands reached out of the water, grabbed her, and pulled her under the water.

**…**

Kirlothenin's heart jumped when he saw Ileeya pulled under the water. He started to dive in after her, but he was stopped by Adam. "You can't do anything, Kirlothenin! Especially with those shackles on! You'll only be committing suicide!"

He knew the rogue was right but he couldn't just let her die! ...Die... Kirlothenin turned to N'Lar and pleaded with her. "You still have your magic! Save her!"

The forsaken looked at him almost in disbelief. Then a slow smile came to her face as she stood. "Very well." She moved towards the center of the boat, straddling Jelune so as not to step on him. "In order to thank you for saving me from the worgen..." She muttered her spell under her breath.

Kirlothenin's eyes went wide as he realized what spell she was casting and he stood to grab her. But it was too late. The mage disappeared. A moment later, her voice traveled from the lake's shore. "I'll be sure to retrieve her body from the lake bottom and present her to The Dark Lady when you are gone." After that, no more was heard from the forsaken.

Kirlothenin froze. For once he had no reply. He had no reaction. The one he once loved had abandoned him when he needed her. Perhaps he should have seen it. Perhaps he shouldn't have- He turned around and looked over the side of the boat for any sign of Ileeya. He hadn't felt this helpless since... N'Lar. Kirlothenin felt his eyes water and a darkness surround his tight chest. "Ileeya... Fight them!"

A moment later a large splash was seen a few feet away. It was a sea lion! It jumped into the air, arched, and dove back into the water a few more feet away. "It's Ileeya! She shifted!" Kirlothenin felt a great relief when he saw her alive! She could breathe under water in that form. Ileeya jumped into the air again even farther away. Ripples in the water followed her.

"She's leading them away from us!" Adam called out. He grabbed hold of his oar and began rowing hard. Kirlothenin joined him, but his worry hadn't dissipated. When she had jumped in the air again, he had seen a small spear sticking out of her side. How long could she swim before they wore her down? They rowed after her fast and hard.

They were getting farther away from the islands and now heading southeast. The shore could be seen in the distance. Then silence. Ileeya didn't jump up again. Kirlothenin almost stopped rowing, but forced himself to continue even harder. Did they get her?

A storm began to blow above the lake. Kirlothenin narrowed his eyes as he tried to look around him. It was odd. The storm had gathered just above the lake above where Ileeya was last seen. Winds tossed the water into small, choppy waves. And lightening struck the water, even below the surface. Kirlothenin sucked in a hopeful breath. He'd seen Ileeya practice this spell. It was a hurricane spell that had to be channeled. But she couldn't cast it as a sea lion. In order to cast it, she had to be in her elven form. The murlocs would attack her and interrupt the spell, so how is it continuing?

The storm finished and a moment later, Ileeya's sea lion head popped above the water. She switched into her elven form and looked around. Kirlothenin waved and called to her, but she turned away as if she didn't hear or see him. Finally, when she was facing the shore, she called out "An'da!"

Kirlothenin looked up as Ileeya began to swim towards the shore. Standing there was the tall figure of a night elf. Dormir had found them.


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has left reviews and who have marked this and my other stories as a favorite. I really to appreciate it and it's nice to know that people like my stories. :)_

* * *

><p>By the time the boat had reached the shore, Dormir had pulled the small spear out of his daughter's side and healed her wounds. The night elf had to help Ileeya steady herself and he noticed how worn out she was. He wondered what had happened to them, but refrained from asking. "I saw what looked like an abandoned house just a little ways away. Let's go there to rest."<p>

As they walked, Adam and Kristie relayed the story of what had happened to them. They had reached the house by the time they were finished and Adam knocked on the door. There was no answer. He stealthed himself and slowly opened the door to investigate, coming out a minute later to declare the place abandoned.

The sun was just beginning to make itself known when the motley crew entered. There was one bedroom upstairs with three beds. Amy was given one bed, Ileeya another, and Jelune got the third due to his need to recover still. Kristie said she would share with Amy. The rest would make themselves comfortable on the floor just outside the room.

**…**

Kirlothenin stared out over the lake from the porch of the abandoned house they had found. Although the sun's light sparkled off the gently rippling water, his mind was picturing it dark, and dangerous. Although he was relieved and grateful that Dormir had arrived to help Ileeya escape the murlocs, he found himself equally remorseful and guilt-ridden that he had not been able to do anything for her.

He had promised to protect her and Adorei. Yet, throughout this whole ordeal, he had been unable to do anything for her. This grated on him more than it should have. But he was realizing something that, frankly, he didn't want to. Ileeya was learning to protect herself, as well as those around her.

Kirlothenin rubbed his thumb against his chin in contemplation. He was actually proud of her that she was growing stronger and more skilled in her druidic abilities. But it also meant that more and more, she didn't need him. And right now, it felt that the only reason she allowed him to stay with her was because of his professed protection. Though they both knew he loved her, what else could he give her that would entice her to keep their family together if she didn't love him in return?

If he cannot protect her and she decides that she can protect herself and Adorei, would she send him away? She has never given him reason to believe her to be in love with him. Sure, she cared about him. He knew that. And he was grateful for that much. But with their harsh history, would she decide her feelings weren't enough and ask him to leave?

Kirlothenin frowned. He didn't like where his thoughts were taking him. Letting out a small sigh, he stepped off the porch and decided to take a quick walk around the house to make sure all was safe and secure. The sword he had acquired from the fight with the dreadguard was tucked into his belt.

His was the last watch before everyone had to get up. They didn't want to stay in the vicinity for too long because none of them believed they were safe yet. N'Lar- Kirlothenin scowled. No, Lara, would most likely come after them, not to mention this Gavor Lord Aron had mentioned. But most of them were in desperate need of sleep. Adam had taken the first two-hour watch, Dormir the second, Lord Aron the third, and Kirlothenin the last.

Ileeya had wanted to take a turn as well, but everyone else told her no. She needed her rest after all the energy she had expended in their escape. Kristie, as well, had wanted to take a turn, but Adam had proved to her, that she had more to learn before she could be effective enough, though he had a proud look in his eyes at her willingness to do so.

Kirlothenin froze when he heard a sound near the front door. He put his back to the side of the house, and peered around the corner, his hand on the pommel of his sword. Adam emerged from the house and Kirlothenin relaxed and came around the corner. "You're up early."

Adam turned to face him and held something up in his hand. It seemed to be a twisted piece of metal. "I found this. I want to see if I can open those shackles with it."

Kirlothenin stepped up to him eagerly. "I hope so. I'm tired of the constant clinking of the chain links." He held up his wrists for the rogue.

As Adam worked, Ileeya came out of the house with Adorei. Kirlothenin smiled softly at the sight. Even with her hair tousled from sleep, he considered her to be beautiful. "Good morning- erm, afternoon." He allowed the smile on his face to fade, however, as he saw some of the bruises from last nights fight with the murlocs. Dormir may have been able to heal her wounds, but she was still bruised. Another reminder of how he hadn't been able to protect her.

She looked at him and gave her own tentative smile. "Morning." She yawned. "I was in such a deep sleep last night, that Kristie had to wake me up when Adorei started crying to be fed."

"Do you need more sleep?" He was worried that she had overextended herself last night. She's not used to constant fighting.

Ileeya shook her head. "No. I'll be fine. Actually," she glanced at Adam, then at him. "I know you wanted to talk about N'Lar. I'm sorry that I couldn't-"

"Don't worry about it." Kirlothenin could hear his voice grow hard. He didn't mean to snap at her, but neither did he want to discuss what N'Lar had done. He didn't even want to _think_ about her right now.

A hurt expression crossed Ileeya's face very briefly, but quickly disappeared. "But I just-"

"I said don't worry about it." Kirlothenin nearly winced at the expression on her face. He didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but he wasn't about to let go of the hurt his own heart was guarding from N'Lar's betrayal. He should have seen- Kirlothenin scowled at himself, mentally barricading his thoughts of the woman. When he looked at Ileeya again, she was disappearing back into the house.

A hand cuffed him on the back of the head. Kirlothenin glared at Adam. "What was that for!"

"You're an idiot."

Kirlothenin tested the shackles. Still locked. "And you're a worthless rogue who can't pick a simple lock!"

Adam's light brown eyes narrowed. "Those locks are not simple. In fact, they are the most complicated locks I've seen. Even with proper lock-picking tools, I'm not sure I could open those. And you're still an idiot!"

This time Kirlothenin looked him full in the face, his eyes narrowed in warning. "What is your problem, rogue?"

"You. The way you treated Ileeya just now."

"It's none of your-"

"Wrong! Ileeya is my friend, and you're supposed to be her friend as well! Just because you messed up in trusting someone who once was your wife in life and who is no longer the same person in unlife, doesn't mean you can take it out on her!" Adam's eyes dared him to deny it.

Kirlothenin turned away from him, knowing that the rogue had a point. He took a step away, his whole body tense. His blood was starting to boil and for the first time since finding out about Ileeya's pregnancy, he wished he could enter an arena just so he could release some of this tension. "I have but myself to blame. She almost died because of my irrational judgment."

"Irrational it may be, but also understandable."

Kirlothenin's head snapped in Adam's direction. "Don't coddle me, rogue." He subconsciously clinched his fists.

Adam seemed to be studying him for a moment as though trying to figure something out. "Calm down, Kirlothenin. The last thing we need right now is to fight between us."

The mage let out a low growl and began to pace back and forth, feeling his pent up emotions inside of him. "By the Sunwell! A fight is exactly what I need right now! If only there was an arena nearby!" He knocked a broken branch off of a stump.

Instead of asking why, Adam only watched him. After a minute of more pacing, the rogue finally spoke. "You let out your tension through fighting."

Kirlothenin didn't bother looking at him as he continued to pace. "I used to enter the arenas to fight. It was good money. I almost always won." He paused as he remembered the days leading up to his finding out about Ileeya's pregnancy. "But they never seemed challenging enough. I would handicap myself on purpose and taunt my opponents." Why was he bothering to tell this human about this? "I came close to death many times. Yet I went back for more."

"You must have really hated yourself."

Kirlothenin sent Adam an icy stare. "Wouldn't you if you did to Kristie what I did to Ileeya?"

Adam thought about this for a minute before slowly nodding his head. "I would. Though, I would never, _ever_ do that to Kristie."

Kirlothenin sighed. Adam didn't understand what he was feeling. Another painful cuff on the back of his head caused him to turn with fists raised, the chain clinking against itself as he did so. "Don't do that again, rogue!"

"You want to fight?" Adam taunted him seemingly having changed his mind about fighting. He set his dagger aside and changed his stance to a defensive one. "This may not be an official arena, but it's you and me. Here. Now. Show me what you got, mage!"

Kirlothenin looked him up and down. This Adam was cocky. Yet... The corner of his mouth turned up slightly in a smirk. "Even without my magic, I can beat you. Are you sure you want to do this?"

In answer, Adam's fist slammed into Kirlothenin's jaw. The mage shifted his lower jaw from side to side as he quickly checked it, then turned back to Adam with a conniving grin. "You asked for it!" He quickly set his sword aside, acknowledging the unspoken rule of no weapons. He was clearly at a disadvantage with the rogue having more physical combat skill, and his own wrists being chained together. It was just what he needed.

His senses went into overdrive as he slowly sidestepped in a circular pattern, waiting for Adam to make a move. Adam's eye's locked with his, apparently intent on waiting as well. Kirlothenin feigned to the right. His opponent didn't take the bait. This time Adam feigned to the left, but immediately followed up with a swing from the right. Kirlothenin's hands went up to block Adam's fist, but found the man had pulled his punch and a quick jab from the left hit his ribs.

Kirlothenin grunted in pain before jumping back to avoid any more punches. As he did so, he heard Ileeya's and Kristie's voices from the doorway of the house, but not what they were saying. Ignoring them, he recouped and took a step forward, suddenly collapsing towards the ground to kick out at Adam's knees. His foot made contact and the man fell to the ground. Kirlothenin quickly stood to land another punch only to have Adam roll away fast and jump up as well. The man charged forward, tackling him to the ground.

The mage immediately felt his body slide on the ground further than it should have. He shoved Adam away only to notice the muddy field they had landed in. He glared at the rogue. "You _would_ knock us into this filth!" Adam's only response was a broad grin as he stood up. Kirlothenin stood up as well, noting that the mud was slippery. His foot started to slip and he glanced down to check his footing.

That's when something hit his cheek. It wasn't Adam's fist. This was wet and almost slimy. Kirlothenin's hand reached up to wipe it off. He glanced at the mud in his hands and then raised a long eyebrow at Adam. "Very mature."

Adam shrugged and leaned over to pick up some more mud with a glint in his eyes. Kirlothenin couldn't believe the immaturity he was seeing! "I see. I should have known I was fighting with a mere boy." He turned to walk out of the muddy field when he was hit again with a clump of mud. He turned to glare at the rogue only to see, just in time, a clump of mud hit Adam!

He glanced to his right to see Kristie with a mischievous grin. Ileeya was standing a few feet away from her with a face full of mixed emotions. She looked to be part mad and part surprised. "Ohh-ho-ho-ho! You really want to join in the fight?" Adam's eyes almost seemed to dance as he looked at Kristie. He picked up another clump of mud, his eyes never leaving Kristie. But when he threw the mud, he aimed and hit Kirlothenin...again!

He'd had enough! "This is the last time I will say this, Adam! Do not throw that disgusting muck at me again!" It was like he was talking to thin air as Adam quickly threw a clump of mud at Kristie who laughed as it hit her. On impulse, Kirlothenin marched right up to Adam with no clue as to why he did so or what he was going to do. But just as he reached the man, his foot slipped and he wound up on his back once more.

By now, his robe was growing heavy with the muck. Adam guffawed at the mage's slip, but Kirlothenin took full advantage of his prone position, quickly pulling Adam's foot out from under him and forcing him off-balance. The rogue stopped laughing as the wind was knocked out of him, but he was obviously still amused.

Annoyed, Kirlothenin finally just picked some mud off the front of his robe and tossed it at the human. Something deep inside of him had to admit that there was a sort of satisfaction in that simple, immature act. At that moment, his eyes locked with Ileeya's. There was a light in her silver eyes and she seemed no longer angry as the corners of her lips twitched upwards. Was she laughing at him?

Oddly enough, it didn't seem to bother him as he stood up and carefully walked over to her. "Are you laughing at me?" He kept his facial expression neutral and he could see the uncertainty in her face now. Kirlothenin stood in front of her now. "Because, you do realize, that you have mud on your face as well."

Ileeya's eyes widened just slightly as her hands went to her face. "Where?"

Kirlothenin allowed himself to smile now as he reached up his mud-filled hand to brush her cheek, leaving a trail of muck where he touched her. "Right here." He then touched the tip of her nose. "And here."

Her jaw dropped open in surprise at what he did, but she quickly overcame her shock and shoved him back towards the muddy field. It was then that Kirlothenin tilted his head back and let out a loud, and honest laugh. Suddenly, he didn't care that he was covered in this slimy muck. He was quickly deluged in mudballs from Adam, Kristie, and Ileeya and he didn't care anymore. He began grabbing at the mud and tossing it at them as well. Amy heard the commotion and upon seeing the mudfight had gleefully joined them.

The only ones not involved in the mud fight were Dormir, who was holding Adorei, Jelune, who was still lying down upstairs, and Lord Aron. When they had finally expended themselves, Adam stood over Kirlothenin, who was lying on his back at the moment. The rogue offered his hand to help him up and Kirlothenin took it. When he had gotten to his feet, Adam said quietly so that only he could hear, "Feeling better?"

Kirlothenin observed a knowing look in Adam's eyes and recalled the conversation they had while they had been in the cage. He had told him that laughter let out the tension. And, remarkably, he did feel much more relaxed. His troubles were still there, but they weren't consuming him right now. And yes, he did feel better. But he only replied with, "I'll feel better once I wash all this mud off!" His face scowled, but a glint of amusement was in his eyes.

He turned to walk off the field so he could clean up, then stopped and glanced over his shoulder towards Adam. "Thanks." He then continued on his way.

**…**

Ileeya and Dormir remained in their aquatic forms to keep an eye out for murlocs as the others bathed to get the mud off. Fortunately, the island the murlocs occupied was far enough away that they were not really a threat here. Kristie and Amy had bathed first while the men had to wait their turn. Ileeya's mind drifted to the mudfight. At first she had been upset to find Kir and Adam fighting. But when the two ended up in the mud and Adam's attitude had obviously become more playful, she didn't know what to think.

Then Kirlothenin had done something she would have never expected of him. He loosened up and became more playful as well. Although he had made some light jokes in the time she'd known him, this was the first time she had ever heard him full out laugh. She decided she liked the sound. If only he could do that more often.

Once everyone was cleaned up, they all sat in the kitchen of the house where Adam spoke up.

"I tried to get the shackles off of Kirlothenin, but I simply can't without the proper tools. However, there's good news. Not too far from here is a place where I could not only get the proper tools, but it's home to probably the best lock-picker on Azeroth. We could reach there by nightfall if we leave right away."

"Alliance?" Kirlothenin asked. He wasn't sure if they should go near any Alliance towns or outposts. They wouldn't understand his current position. _Which is what?_ he asked himself. _Just where do you stand now?_ Kirlothenin had too many issues with the Alliance to join them, though the thought did cross his mind. But it would only have been for Ileeya's sake. Making such a drastic declaration, especially with her feelings for him unresolved, would only create more troubles for him.

So what about the Horde? Just where does he sit with them now? He had no doubt that Jerold would promote the idea that he was a traitor to the Horde, though technically, he had never betrayed them, nor had he personally even officially declared allegiance to them in the first place. For now, he preferred his temporary position of being neutral within the Cenarion Circle, though that is an organization for druids only.

He could maybe return to the Kirin Tor once his house arrest sentence is over and he is allowed to officially leave Moonglade. But that would mean leaving Ileeya and Adorei, or taking them with him. He wasn't sure Ileeya would be happy outside her homelands.

"No. Neutral."

Kirlothenin's mind returned to the present meeting and he glanced at Adam. "Neutral? Where are we going?"

"Ravenholdt Manor. It's a place for rogues, though they allow others to enter their domain once they have proven themselves."

Kirlothenin was about to ask what he meant when Dormir spoke up. "Funny you should mention Ravenholdt Manor..."

Adam turned to him with a little surprise in his face. "You've heard of it?"

Dormir nodded his head. "You have a partner named Maggie Strome?"

Adam's eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion. "Yes. How did you know?"

Dormir pulled out a stone similar to the one Adam had. "She gave me this to find you after it started glowing. She's in Ravenholdt Manor as we speak."

Adam's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Why is she there? She's supposed to be in Stormwind. Why didn't she come herself? And how do you know her?"

Dormir seemed to hesitate, glancing around the room. "I...think I'd better let her explain when you get there."

Kirlothenin furrowed his brow. He knew Dormir well enough by now to know there was more going on. He'd have to ask him about it later.

**…**

"Jerold Grimmort!"

The undead man turned from the vendor to see Lara walking towards him. "Ah. Did Faranell's package arrive safely?" He paid the vendor, only half paying attention to the mage. He was supposed to meet Gavor at the flight master on the upper level of Undercity in ten minutes. The two had split up to gather supplies before they headed out to track the missing prisoners.

"No."

This stopped him and he spun around with annoyance. It simply wouldn't do to have his promised package not arrive once again. "What do you mean? You were supposed to take them straight to him!"

Lara had a very brief surprised look on her face from his curt tone before her own anger set in. "If you hadn't wanted to play mind games with them and had let me take them straight there via a portal, they wouldn't have been rescued by those disgusting Hillsbrad worgen! And _you_ shouldn't be one to speak since your own prisoners have gone missing!"

It was Jerold's turn to be surprised. "How did you-?"

"They showed up right when the mage and rogue were freed from the cage." She flipped her wrist dismissively.

Jerold's yellow orbs thinned as though he were narrowing his eyes. "And you survived?"

"You're not going to believe this..." She then proceeded to tell him of Kirlothenin's belief that she was his former wife, N'Lar."

Jerold smiled after she gave him all of the details, but paused before asking, "What do _you_ believe?"

She gave a half shrug. "From what he has told me, I'm keen to believe him. It doesn't matter now, though. Who I was in life has no bearing on who I am now. I am Lara Blackspite, Forsaken."

Jerold rubbed his dry hands together. "Good! Now, let's see how we can use this to our advantage. Come. Gavor is waiting."


	14. Chapter 14

"All clear." Adam nodded to Dormir who shapeshifted into his cat form and prowled off ahead of the group. Shortly after they had begun their trek into the Alterac Mountains, they had been confronted by members of the syndicate, an organization decidedly out for themselves and against Ravenholdt.

It had been easy to deal with them between Adam and Dormir with Ileeya and Jelune backing them up. Adam had to give his friend some credit. The hunter had tamed yet another new pet, a turtle this time. When the syndicate members had approached, one wouldn't have been able to tell that the hunter was fairly weak. He had stood his ground next to his sister, despite having no weapons.

Ileeya traveled in her bear form to let Amy ride while holding Adorei. The fur of the bear form helped to keep them warm in the chilly mountain region. Luckily for them, they would only need to travel in the snow for just a short period of time. The rest of the group had to keep close to stay warm.

Adam held Kristie close as they traveled. He could tell she had something on her mind, but he didn't ask because he had a good idea what it was. After a while, she cleared her throat. "Have you talk-"

"No." He just wanted to get to Ravenholdt Manor and get home by this point. Maybe once they were all safe, he'll have a chat with Lord Aron. A cuff to the back of his head had him turning and glaring at Kirlothenin.

The mage gave him a pointed look before saying quietly with a smirk, "Don't be an idiot." He then moved off towards Ileeya, leaving Adam standing still and watching him with annoyance. Adam had a feeling that Kirlothenin had been just waiting for an opportunity to get him back from earlier. And here he had just given him a good reason. With a growl to himself, he rubbed the back of his head, hating that the elf was right.

Adam glanced at Kristie and started to walk again. She had a curious light in her eyes. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I shouldn't have snapped at you." He glanced at his father who was walking ahead of them. Adam could feel himself tense up just thinking about talking to that man. Yet, for the life of him, he couldn't think of a good excuse to delay the talk right now. With a sigh, he decided that maybe it would be best just to get it over with. "I'll be back in a minute," he mumbled to Kristie.

With forced steps, he caught up to Lord Aron and walked beside him for a few minutes. In his peripheral vision, he saw his father glance at him in surprise. There was a small line of perspiration on his forehead. His father wasn't used to all this travel and exertion. Adam remained silent. Now that he was here, he wasn't sure just how to start. Finally, he decided to speak what was foremost in his mind. "Kristie told me what you did."

Lord Aron looked at him but said nothing. Adam waited and sighed when he realized the man wasn't going to make this any easier. He gritted his teeth. "Thank you for helping them."

"I don't want your thanks."

Adam didn't expect this response. He turned his head and looked at the man he once called father. He shouldn't ask this. He shouldn't. _Walk away, Adam_. He stayed where he was. "What _do_ you want, then?"

Lord Aron stopped, fully facing him now. "Isn't it obvious?" Adam stopped as well and refused to respond. His stubbornness and hatred of nearly fourteen years prevented him from responding. His father answered his own question. "You. I want my son back, Adam."

Adam avoided the man's eyes in an effort to hide his own conflicting emotions. His heart began to pound in his chest. Whether it was from anger or otherwise, he wasn't sure. He wasn't ready to forgive and forget. He couldn't just forget what his father had done.

The noble seemed to realize what Adam was thinking. "Just, think about it, Adam." He opened his mouth to say something else, closed it, then spoke anyways. "Here's something else for you to think about. You may refuse my name, but can you refuse your responsibility?"

Adam narrowed his eyes and finally looked at the man. "What responsibility?"

"What do you think will happen after I pass away? What will happen to our land? Who will take care of the peasants who make a living on our land? If I have no heir, the land will be split up. Those people would be forced off our lands and have no protection. We have a responsibility to look after them."

A growl emitted from deep within Adam's chest. "So that's what this is all about? You're more concerned about them than you are your own family!"

"You're wrong, Adam! I love my family. But I have a responsibility not only to my family, but to those under my protection as well! That's how it is with nobility. King Varian has a responsibility to those under him, just as we have a responsibility to those under us."

"If you're so concerned about their welfare, sell them our land!"

Lord Aron sighed and glanced at the others who had to stop to wait for them. He made a motion towards them. "We're keeping them waiting." The two began walking again as Lord Aron continued. "And I did offer to sell some of the land. Only two accepted. The fact is, some can't afford it. But most just want to keep things as they are. They prefer having _us_ responsible for their protection and other matters we usually take care of. Believe it or not, our family has always treated those on our land well. And they love us for it."

Adam said nothing. He was surprised that his father had sold off some of their lands. "_You_ sold some of our land? _You_?" Adam ignored the man's glare. His father was well known for being rather conservative when it came to the matters of money and land.

"Adam, for thirteen years, I thought you were dead. I thought that I had no heir. I was trying to do what I could for them." Lord Aron's voice was so soft, Adam almost didn't hear it.

"Wait! What? You thought I was dead? Thanks for the vote of confidence!" he growled.

"I hadn't heard anything from you, Adam. I would have rather believed that you were dead than to believe that you wouldn't even write me a letter to let me know that you were alive and well somewhere."

Adam didn't respond as a pang of guilt hit him, and he didn't like it. For the first time, he was seeing things through his father's eyes. Without another word, he moved ahead of his father to catch up to Kristie. Luckily, she opted not to ask him about the conversation. He had a lot to think about.

**…**

By the time the group of weary travelers reached the base of the mountain that Ravenholdt Manor was located on, the sun was just beginning to set. Adam told them to let him lead the way as they walked up the narrow trail to the short tunnel. When they came to the exit of the tunnel, they stopped and Adam gave his hand signal. But because he had more than one person with him, he didn't move forward. One of the patrolling guards approached with a cautious step. "How many?"

"Six, plus two children."

"Children? You brought children here?" The guard glanced at the group behind Adam in disbelief.

"No choice. I'll be glad to explain once we are allowed inside."

The guard pulled out a parchment and stylus. "Names?"

**…**

Baros sat at the table with Shaw, Maggie, and Lord Jorach. They were waiting for the servants to bring in the first course for dinner. Lord Jorach was making some sort of polite conversation with Shaw and Maggie. He refused to participate. Shaw and Maggie could leave anytime they wanted. Instead, he decided he would eat the man's food and take advantage of his hospitality, but deny him anything else in silent protest to his kidnapping.

One of Ravenholdt's lackeys entered the dining hall and quickly made her way to the lord of the manor. She handed him a piece of paper and spoke a few quiet words. He took the paper, looking it over and raising an eyebrow at something he read. He whispered something back to the lackey who left the room. Lord Jorach then called over a servant, asking him to set some more places at the long table.

Finally, he looked at his guests, standing up as he did so. "It seems, my friends, we have some unexpected guests."

Baros didn't really care about this announcement until he saw Shaw and Maggie exchange a look. Why did he get the feeling this wasn't a surprise to them. Leaning over, he asked Shaw quietly, "What's going on?"

Mathias glanced at Baros and whispered, "If it's who we think it is, then it's good news and bad news. And things are about to get a lot more complicated." Shaw paused, then added, "And don't blame me!"

Baros frowned. How can it get even more complicated than it already was? A shuffle was heard behind them as the company entered the room. Shaw, Maggie and Baros all turned around. "Kristie!"

"Dad?" Kristie's face was utter shock at seeing him.

Baros stood up and walked quickly over to his daughter. As he gave her a hug, he asked, "What happened? What are you doing he-" He suddenly got an idea of why they were there and he turned quickly to face Lord Jorach who had a smug grin on his face. "You!" he accused. "You wouldn't dare-"

"No I wouldn't." Jorach interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "Their being here is as much a surprise to me as it is to you. But I do find it to be quite an interesting coincidence, Mr. Alexston."

Baros looked at his daughter once more, noticing the bruises on her nose. "Who hit you?" He glanced at the group and saw a blood elf in shackles and narrowed his eyes in anger. "Did you do this to her?"

The blood elf narrowed his own eyes in disdain. "No."

"Dad, it wasn't him. It happened when-"

Whatever else she was going to say got lost in the total chaos that ensued. Baros demanded to know what was going on. Adam and Kristie were asking their own questions. Maggie, Shaw, and Lord Jorach were trying to ask and answer questions as well. Each was trying to speak louder so as to be heard over the others when a loud roar caught everyone's attention and they all turned to see a huge bear near the elves.

Once everyone was silent, Dormir shapeshifted back to his elven form. "I realize there are a lot of questions and confusion going on right now. But how we are going about it will not give us the answers we seek."

"Well said, sir." Lord Jorach immediately sought control of the situation. "Let us all sit down to dinner and we'll each have our turn to talk."

Adam shook his head. "With all due respect, Lord Jorach, it is imperative to get this elf freed from his shackles. He is a mage and can take us out of here. We may have been followed by those who had tried to imprison us."

The lord of the manor waved his hand with no concern. "Nothing will happen to you on this estate. You all have obviously come a long way. You need nourishment. I am providing that. And I can guarantee that you will not get the help you are seeking until after dinner has been served." Although his voice was cordial enough, there was an undertone of warning as well that Baros recognized.

Ravenholdt either didn't see the glares in his direction, or he ignored them as he sat back down at the head of the table full of confidence that he was in control here. The rest of them filed silently over to the table and each found seats. As they ate their dinners, Adam and Kristie relayed their adventures to Lord Jorach, Maggie, Shaw, and Baros.

When they finished, it was Baros' turn to tell why he was there. "I was kidnapped," he said matter-of-factly. The others stared at him, unsure of whether he was kidding or not. Baros glanced up and then nodded his head towards Jorach. "Ask him if you don't believe me."

Ravenholdt smiled. "I'm trying to convince him to do a job for me. Mr. Alexston seems to be rather ...stubborn."

"He's not the only one," muttered Shaw. To this, Lord Jorach only laughed.

The others weren't quite sure how to take this. Here they were eating dinner like nothing else was going on. Baros wasn't guarded by any of Ravenholdt's men. He wasn't locked up. And Mathias Shaw, the leader of SI:7 of all people, was sitting right next to him.

"What job do you want him to do?" Kristie's concerned voice broke the silence.

"Oh, don't worry, my dear. It's nothing illegal. I just want him to draw up some renovations of the manor for me."

"Renovations. Here? In a place that houses an organization for rogues. Um, you don't know my dad very well, do you, Lord Jorach?"

A snicker was heard from Maggie across the table, and Baros threw her a glare.

"I'm learning more and more about him during his stay here." Lord Jorach smiled amiably. "To be honest, I rather like the old man."

"Look who's calling who, old." Baros muttered.

Again, he was ignored as Lord Jorach stood. "Now then, let me take a look at those shackles."

As the mage moved to let the man examine the shackles, Baros glanced at Shaw who had a worried look on his face. "What's eating you?" he whispered.

Shaw didn't look at him as he quietly responded. "I'm just trying to figure out Ravenholdt's angle. He seems almost too accommodating."

"You mean he wouldn't normally help someone in a situation like this?"

"Hm, maybe. He'd likely charge a fee or something like that. But this is different. It involves Kristie now. I know how he works. He's going to turn this around to his advantage where you're concerned, Baros."

Now Alexston was concerned. "You don't think he'll hurt her do you?"

"No. But he will use her in whatever way he can to get to you."

"Shaw..." Baros' voice was low and warning.

"I know. I know." Mathias sighed. "I'll do what I can."

Another guard entered the room and approached Lord Jorach with some quiet words. Ravenholdt stopped his examination of the shackles and frowned before replying. When the guard left he cleared his throat. "Gentlemen. Ladies. We have more company." His voice was ominous this time and Baros had to wonder just who it was this time.

A few minutes later, he had his answer. All he saw were three bodies entering the room before chairs were shoved back amongst the sounds of gasps and the shuffling of feet. Adam, Kirlothenin, and Jelune all moved forward in defensive positions. Dormir, Shaw, and Maggie followed their lead. Baros found himself standing next to Kristie who was holding the elf baby. In answer to his unspoken question, she whispered, "It's them. Jerold survived." She seemed to be in shock. "How did they find us?"

"Thank you, Lord Jorach, for receiving us." Baros recognized the gravelly voice of a forsaken. He tensed up and moved so that he could see the three undead. Only, there were now more than three. Apparently, four more had joined them after his view had been blocked.

"As always, my doors are open to both Alliance and Horde, Mr. Grimmort. What can I do for you this evening?"

"It seems you are hosting some escaped prisoners of mine."

"You've got a lot of nerve, Jerold!" Adam's voice was low in warning, his hand on his dagger.

The forsaken turned and smiled at the rogue. The sickly sight of that oversized grin unnerved Baros. "And I ask that these two," Jerold pointed to Kirlothenin and Adam, "and their accomplices be placed in confinement for crimes against me."

"I am not a police force, Mr. Grimmort." Lord Jorach told him with a raised eyebrow as if the forsaken should know this.

"Of course, Lord Jorach. I would be glad to pay you for your organization's services. A ...bounty of sorts."

"I see." Lord Jorach glanced around the room as he thought over his options. "Well, it seems I am in quite the circumstance. On the one hand, I have opened my doors to provide assistance to this group of Alliance people. On the other hand, business calls in the form of these Horde members. As I am, and must remain, neutral to both factions, I cannot in due course help either side until a solution is found."

He raised a hand to motion for one of the guards who had escorted the forsaken into the room to come forward. After giving him some quiet instructions, the guard left and Jorach addressed the room once more pointing to Kirlothenin's wrists. "I will not allow the removal of these shackles by anyone in this Manor tonight." He pointed to the forsaken. "And I will not allow you to take anyone from here tonight."

About twenty guards or so filed through the doors to surround everyone. By this action, Lord Jorach had just silently let everyone know that he was still in control. "You are on _my_ land, and therefore, under _my_ rules. Until further notice, I ask that you all remain here over night. I will make my decision by the morning." Here, his voice hardened. "Should anyone leave from either group, the rest will be automatically found guilty of the others accusations and I will send out my assassins to take care of _everyone_ from that group. Do I make myself clear?"

Everyone seemed to understand as they glanced at the guards surrounding them and slowly nodded. Then Lord Jorach looked pointedly at Mathias Shaw. "And I expect you to keep to your self-appointed role of bodyguard, Mathias. Remember that you have no authority here. As much as I want the architect's services, I will not compromise my guild to get it. Understood?"

At Mathias' nod, Ravenholdt turned to a rogue near him. "Take the forsaken to the south wing on the second floor. Give them one or three rooms, whatever they need, and the usual comfort items, but they are not to leave here until I say so." He then turned to another rogue. "Give the others here rooms near Mr. Alexston's. The same goes for them as for the forsaken. Make them comfortable but they are not to leave the premises until I say so." Ravenholdt then left the room without another word.

Baros growled at Mathias as they were ushered out of the dining room by twelve of the guards. "So you're just going to accept this and do what he says?"

Shaw raised an eyebrow, irritation showing in his eyes. "Just what do you think I should do? Take on the entire Assassin's League by myself?"

"Obviously not. You have Maggie and Adam and those druids-"

"Reality check, Baros!" Shaw turned his head to look at the clueless man. "Adam, Kristie, and everyone else have been walking all day. They are in no condition to fight. And even if they were, we're outnumbered here. Do you really think these twelve guards are all there is? You'd be surprised how many rogues are in the Assassin's League."

Baros hated Shaw's condescending tone. "I just thought you'd do _something_ instead of just giving up."

"I'm not running a suicide mission, here. There are other options to consider. Ravenholdt is smarter than you seem to give him credit for. Delaying his decision was the best thing he could have done. It gives him...and us time to consider all of our options."

Baros sighed, then looked away. "Forget I asked," he mumbled.


	15. Chapter 15

"So now what, oh wise and fearless leader?"

Jerold ignored the sarcasm in Lara's question. "We wait, of course." He rummaged through his bags, checking to make sure the flasks and potions he had brought didn't break during their travel. "It's a game right now. Who can outsmart who."

The room they were in had the basic comforts of the living. A soft bed, a bowl of fruit, and a wash basin. Mostly useless to them. It was Gavor, Lara, and Jerold in the room at the moment. The two deathguards, the rogue, and the shadow priest they had hired remained in the other rooms.

"Do you trust this Ravenholdt? He is, after all, among the living."

"To a degree, yes. He knows that he must remain neutral. And if there is any inconsistency to his choice tomorrow, he knows we have but to inform the Dark Lady of his ...preferences."

Jerold picked up a pear and cut it in half with his dagger. Raising it to his mouth, he took a bite out of curiosity. Undead had no need to eat regularly, though they did partake on occasion partially from habit, and partially to keep up the necromantic energies animating their bodies. Fresh meat and blood does the best job, though- especially freshly killed.

He set the pear down, chewing on, but barely tasting, the the fruit. "If, for some reason, he releases the mage and they portal out of here, then we'll track them down again. Better yet, I have an idea on how to take the blood elf out of the equation once and for all." He waved off their inquiries on how he planned to do this. "I'll let you know when and if it comes time to do so."

"So then, what happens if they get away?" Gavor asked, watching Jerold.

"Then, we recapture the rest and kill them. One. By. One." A vengeful smile crossed his face, tightening the dead skin. "And after they die, we'll take them to the Dark Lady to enlist them into her service...and ours." He mashed the pear slice into the table. "Except the child and infant. We can sell the mixed-race elf baby for enough gold to keep us going for a long time. And the child, well, I just want to observe her more."

"Observe?" Lara glanced at him curiously.

Gavor interjected with a flat voice. "He means he want's to obsess more."

Lara grimaced. "Obsess? Over that little thing? Why bother with her?"

"The child is the anti-thesis of unlife. I want to learn more about what makes her tick." Jerold pulled a small vial from his pack and poured a drop onto the mashed up pear.

"Hm, okay. But why her? Wouldn't any child do?"

Jerold glanced at Gavor and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I started my observations with her." He said no more on the matter as he looked back at the mashed pear. The once white insides were now brown and rotten.

"Anyhow, by tomorrow, we'll have had one success without having to lift a finger." He scooped up a small amount of the rotten pear and put it in his mouth. "Hm. At least I can taste it now." He wiped his hand on the bedspread and looked at his companions. "Where was I? Oh yes..." He let out a soft cackle. "If my calculations are correct, by morning, one of our escaped prisoners will be dead."

**...**

Baros knocked on Ravenholdt's office door and waited for the command to enter. After receiving permission, he entered shutting the door behind him. Ravenholdt sat comfortably behind his desk with a mixed look of curiosity and apprehension. "I had a feeling I'd be seeing you tonight."

The architect furrowed his eyebrows. What he had to say was difficult enough. He didn't like Lord Jorach gloating it over him.

"Before you say anything, Mr. Alexston, what I told Mr. Shaw earlier was true. I will put my guild first over you. I am well aware that your daughter is in the Alliance group. I cannot favor the Alliance just because I want something from you. I will mourn the loss of your services, but I will not let it sway me one way or the other."

Baros considered Jorach's words carefully. Shaw said this man was smart. He could see the wisdom in the man's eyes, now that he took the time to notice it. Still, Baros caught something that the man had said and focused on it. "You'll mourn the loss of my services? Does that mean you're letting me go?"

Lord Jorach broke into a relaxed, but smug grin. "That depends, my dear Mr. Alexston, on my decision tomorrow. I cannot very well convince you to work for me if I've been the inadvertent vessel of your daughter's capture and possible death."

"No." His voice was flat. "You couldn't." Baros studied the man before him with some confusion. "Lord Jorach, I don't understand you. You kidnap me, yet you don't threaten me or lock me up. Shaw insists that you would not hurt my daughter, yet you admit that you would turn her over to those poor excuses for life." The last part came out more as a growl than anything else.

"Mr. Alexston, no offense, but I don't need to threaten you. You were easy to kidnap, and keeping you here is as simple as alerting my guild to my desire that you stay on the grounds." He sat back and steepled his fingers, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair. "As for your daughter, I've already explained that. I must put my guild first."

Baros crossed one arm over his chest and rested his other elbow on it, rubbing his chin in thought. He didn't trust rogues, and this man was no different. However, he felt himself observant enough to realize that most rogues had a greedy streak. He was hoping to use this to his advantage. "Your current situation is that the Horde wants to hire you to detain the Alliance that sought shelter from you?"

Lord Jorach raised an eyebrow. "It is."

"Hm. Does that Alliance group include myself, Shaw, and Maggie?"

"That's a good question." Ravenholdt leaned forward once more as he considered it. "I suppose it would not. You three are here for different reasons."

Now Baros put his hands on the edge of Lord Jorach's desk, leaning down a little to do so. "Then you wouldn't be compromised if I want to hire you?"

The corner of Ravenholdt's mouth twitched as if he was trying not to smile. "For what, pray tell?"

Baros felt a modicum of success. Maybe he was beginning to figure out the mentality of these rogues. "Should, for whatever reason, those forsaken get a hold of my family, then I want you to go in there and rescue them. And by rescue, I mean they are returned all the way to Stormwind safe and sound." He stood up straight again. "Now, that wouldn't be compromising your little guild, would it?"

Conflicting emotions crossed Lord Jorach's face for a moment before he looked Baros in the eyes. "Mr. Alexston ...My dear Baros, because I like you, and against my better judgment, I'm going to tell you _exactly_ what you just offered to me." He stood up and moved around to the side of his desk. "You just told me that I will get exactly what I wanted from you in the first place if I simply give your daughter over to the forsaken."

Baros felt the blood drain from his face. That is most definitely _not_ what he had meant to offer!

Jorach saw this and gave a regretful smile. "Now, are you sure you want to make this deal?"

"No!" Baros pounded his fist on the desk in frustration. "Dammit Jorach! I just want to ensure that my family is safe!"

"And you come to me? What about your friend, Shaw?"

"You said so yourself. This is your land, your rules. You have the ability to help my family right at this moment. ….And he's not my friend."

"No?" Lord Jorach pursed his lips as though he was about to say something, then seemed to change his mind. "You're right. This _is_ my land..." He stepped around the desk and stood next to Baros. "And my rules. Now, I wonder. If I were to come up with a solution that would keep my guild out of trouble, yet find a way to give the Alliance an unexpected advantage, then that would be something more worthy of the payment I expect, would it not?"

"Yeah, probably." Baros answered without thinking, then he eyed the rogue suspiciously. Wait a minute... He tried to go back over just what Ravenholdt had said in his mind.

"Good!" Jorach clapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth. "It's a deal, then."

Baros sighed in resignation. "I just played right into your hands, didn't I?"

Ravenholdt gave him an amused smile. "Don't worry. I'm used to it." Baros didn't have time to react to this as Lord Jorach quickly escorted him to the door. "Remember, a deal's a deal. Have a good night, Mr. Alexston."

Baros turned around and opened his mouth to protest, but the door was shut in his face.

"I told you so."

The architect turned his head to see Mathias leaning against the wall with one knee bent, his foot on the wall, and his arms crossed over his chest.

"Shut up." Baros passed him and headed back to his room.

**...**

Everyone was gathered in Baros' room with the exception of Jelune, Amy, and Lord Aron. The noble, who was tired himself, had promised to look after the sleepy child. And Jelune needed a good night's rest at least before he was fully recovered. The others had stayed up to try to brainstorm some options but in the end, they decided it might be best to see what happens in the morning and then play it by ear. Either way, Kirlothenin was determined not to let themselves be caught by Jerold again.

With nothing left to discuss, he escorted Ileeya and Adorei to the room they had been assigned. He had his own room, but he entered Ileeya's room to put Adorei on the mattress that was on the floor next to the bed. Ravenholdt's guild had pulled it from the bed of an empty room since they didn't have any cribs there. After wrapping a blanket over the infant, he stood and paused as his eyes locked with Ileeya's. There was a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite place.

Still, they both stood there staring at each other, seemingly unable to move or speak. Kirlothenin finally broke eye contact and cleared his throat. "Ileeya..." He felt he should say something to her, but what? He couldn't come up with anything and sighed. "Good night." He moved towards the door, but was stopped by her voice.

"I understand."

Kirlothenin paused and looked at her in confusion. Understand? Understand what?

"N'Lar." He stiffened as Ileeya stepped closer, seeking eye contact again. "You loved her." She seemed to be searching for the right words to say. "I guess I just wanted you to know that I understand why you wanted to protect her ...to have her remember who she was, despite what she is now."

She turned away apparently finished with what she had wanted to say, but Kirlothenin stopped her and gently pulled her back. "N'Lar is dead. That woman is Lara, in N'Lar's dead body. She lost me when she left you to die, Ileeya."

She stared into his eyes and Kirlothenin couldn't resist stroking her cheek as he felt a tightness in his chest. "I'm proud of you." He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he dropped his hand. "You've become a strong woman." He couldn't look at her anymore as he finally spoke his own fears. "Pretty soon you won't need me around..."

The silence between them was thick. "Earthroot." This caused him to furrow his brows and look at her in confusion. "Earthroot. It's what I was picking when we first ...met."

Kirlothenin had no idea why she had brought it up. He leaned his shoulder against the wall and kept his attention on her, waiting for her to come around to her point.

"Every herbalist knows how difficult it is to pick earthroot. The reason is because it grows its roots deep into the nooks and crannies of rocks and hard-packed earth. The earthroot is strong, because its foundation is strong."

The mage took this in, not quite sure what she was saying. It made no sense for her to give him an herbalism lesson. So it was supposed to mean something else. After thinking about it for a minute he slowly asked, "So, you're saying you're strong because you have a good foundation?"

He must have been right because she smiled. "In a sense, yes." Adorei moved in her sleep and Ileeya glanced at her to make sure she was okay. When she looked at Kirlothenin again, she sighed. "I need you, Kir. You're my foundation. And I'm tired right now. My strength is failing and I need to lean on you."

Kirlothenin's heart pounded in his chest. She needed him. It felt like a breakthrough. Sure, she didn't say she loved him, but ...she _needed_ him. Before he realized what he was doing, he pulled her close, lifting his chained wrists over her head to encircle her. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her.

"Kir, I don't want to take advantage of your feelings for me, especially when I'm still confused about my own. But..." She looked off to the side. "Would you mind sleeping in here tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"I don't mind. You know that." He couldn't help himself. Kirlothenin slowly eased his head forward and placed his lips gently on hers. Her mouth was soft and accommodating and it was a struggle for him to keep it to just a simple kiss. The moment lasted far shorter than he wanted, but he was the one to pull away first. She had said she was still unsure of her own feelings, after all.

He had to respect that. He removed his arms from around her and indicated for her to lie down on her bed. After she lay down, he made himself comfortable on Adorei's mattress. A few minutes later, Ileeya's voice spoke softly in the dark room. "I trust you, Kir."

He smiled to himself and reached out his hand to search for hers. Once he found it, he pulled it to his lips to kiss. "I know. Good night, Ileeya." She told him good night as well and he thought he could hear a bit of disappointment in her voice. Part of him wanted to join her on her bed instead of be on the floor mattress with Adorei. However, even though she trusted him, he didn't trust himself.


	16. Chapter 16

Kristie leaned back against Adam's chest, with his arms wrapped comfortably around her waist. She watched Shaw, Maggie, and her father as they all sat at a table. "Mom must be worried," she commented randomly.

"I've sent word that Baros is okay," Mathias said. "She's knows I'm looking after him."

Kristie frowned. She didn't understand why this man was looking after her father like this. Dad had always said that he didn't consider the man a friend. Even Shaw didn't seem to want to admit to a friendship. Yet, here he was when any one of his agents could look after her father including Adam. She crossed her arms in front of her, feeling determined to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

"All right, Dad. Fess up."

Baros raised an eyebrow. "_Fess_ up? Just what am I supposed to con_fess_ to?"

She pointed to Mathias Shaw. "Him." The two men looked at each other and Kristie smiled to herself. "Don't you dare say you aren't friends. I can see Shaw getting involved when Marissa threatened us because she also threatened Stormwind. But here? Dad, you're not really in any life-threatening danger."

"Actually, there is a threat if Baros runs off at the mouth like he usually does. There are a number of rogues here who don't appreciate being insulted by him," Mathias interjected.

"Hrumph! I say it like it is!" Baros stood and moved over towards the window, looking out into the night sky.

"No. Your vision is skewed by your prejudice."

"I have good reason to hate rogues, Mathias! You know that better than anyone!"

Kristie couldn't let this comment pass. "That's another thing. You hate rogues and insist they are not trustworthy, yet you trust Shaw."

Mathias sighed and glanced around the room before going to stand next to Maggie. He gave her a look that made Kristie wonder if something more was going on between those two. But she didn't dwell on it. Her main focus right now was Mathias and Baros. "Maggie," Shaw said, "please go stand by the door. Keep an ear out for unwanted guests." She nodded and walked to the closed door as Shaw addressed Baros again. "It's time you told her, Baros. She needs to learn about it sooner or later anyhow."

Her dad sighed and hung his head for just a moment before looking at Kristie. He rolled up his sleeve and showed her his right arm. On the inside between the elbow and wrist was a scar. Kristie glanced up at her father's face in confusion. Mathias had rolled his sleeve up and put his right arm next to Baros' arm. He had a scar in almost the exact same spot.

Kristie both felt and heard Adam gasp behind her. She glanced back to see a look of surprise on his face. A quick look at Maggie told her the other rogue was surprised as well. She turned back to her father and Shaw. "I don't understand."

"A blood-promise." Adam's voice rumbled behind her and she saw Mathias nod.

"What's a blood-promise?"

Shaw rolled his sleeve back down. "An unbreakable promise for a rogue." He moved to sit on a chair as Baros sat down on the bed. Mathias looked at Kristie, Adam, and Maggie. "What we are about to reveal is not to leave this room, understand?"

The three nodded their heads silently and Baros started the tale. "It all started before the riot..."

"_Pack up some things and take Kristie to Ironforge, Elenor." I had burst into my home as soon as possible to warn my family._

_She immediately stopped what she was doing to face me with concern. "Why? What's happened?" _

"_Edwin plans to start a riot." I went into the bedroom and pulled out a traveling case for her. I still couldn't believe Edwin had asked me to participate in this. He knows I'm not a violent man._

_Following me, she raised an eyebrow. "Edwin? Riot? You're kidding, right?"_

"_No, Elenor. I'm dead serious. I don't wont you and Kristie anywhere near Stormwind when it happens either! Once you get to Ironforge, look up Gemma Stoneshard. She'll help you find a place if she doesn't offer her own for you to stay."_

_I left the room, carrying the traveling case and planned to head towards Kristie's room when I froze. Sitting there in my living room was VanCleef, inspecting his dagger. "Going somewhere, Baros?"_

_I didn't answer right away. I was shocked to see the man in my house without invitation. But when Elenor came up behind me, I shook myself out of my stupor. "Not me. I'm sending Elenor and Kristie away until the riot is over. I don't want them getting hurt."_

"_Of course not. I wouldn't want to see them hurt either." He tilted his head to look at my wife. "Hello, Elenor."_

_She nodded her head in response, a confused look on her face. I could understand her confusion. Edwin was our friend. He had even come over for dinner a few times. Vanessa and Kristie used to play together. Yet, despite the man's amiable attitude, there was a hardness in his eyes that we hadn't seen before. "Aren't you sending Vanessa away to safety?" _

"_Hm? Vanessa? Yes. She'll be safe." He stood up and stepped closer to me. "Need help seeing them off, Baros?" _

"_Uh, no. Elenor knows where to go."_

"_You sure?" He moved behind and between us, draping his right arm around my shoulders, and his left arm around Elenor's shoulder's. The dagger he had been inspecting was hanging lazily from his left hand. "I wouldn't want to see anything happen to my dear friends."_

_I tried hard not to look at the dagger. Edwin wouldn't hurt us, would he? We were friends. He sounded cordial enough, but I couldn't help but feel there was an underlying threat from him. "We'll be fine, Edwin. Thank you for your concern."_

_The man smiled and stepped away. "There's a meeting tonight. I'll expect you there, Baros."_

_I nodded. "I'll be there."_

"_Good. Keep an eye and ear out for anyone who may decide to turn traitor. If we find out that anyone is going to try and warn anyone outside our guild, then we're going to have to ...teach them a lesson." He opened the front door and glanced back at us. "See you tonight."_

_I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding as Elenor turned to look at me with frightened eyes. "Baros. What happened to him? It's like I don't even know him anymore."_

"_I don't know, Elenor. This whole trouble with the nobles has been hard on everyone. I think it hit him harder. He's furious about not getting paid and seems to think this riot will change their minds."_

"_Innocent people will get hurt." She began packing the traveling case._

"_I know. I know." I put my hand to my temple. I had a feeling this headache was going to last for a few days. "The riot is supposed to happen tomorrow. I'll send word, or come myself after everything has calmed down."_

_She paused and looked at me with worry. "Why don't you come with us? You don't have to be there, do you?"_

"_I wish I could. But being part of the leadership of the guild, I'm expected to be there and... you heard Edwin. He made it clear that I'm supposed to participate."_

_Later that night, I felt my world crash around me. I decided I may as well not have a job. I wasn't sure I was safe in Stormwind anymore. And the man I had once admired and called friend, was trying to force me to be an accomplice to murder! _

_VanCleef and some of his rogue buddies had decided that at some point during the riot, they were going to attack SI:7 and take out as many of the leadership as they could, including Edwin's former trainer and friend, Mathias Shaw. I realized my position in the guild was a farce. I was there for my skills only and was expected to do as I was told._

_After the meeting, VanCleef insisted that I stay at his place for the night. "After all, you don't have anyone waiting for you at home." By now, I knew it was just an excuse. I knew Edwin didn't trust me. And I didn't trust him anymore either._

_The crowds in front of the Keep were growing more and more restless the next day. I watched in awe as Edwin and his buddies whispered and encouraged more and more restlessness among them. I pretended to participate, fearing what Edwin would do if I did nothing. The riot wasn't supposed to start until later that day. Despite my fears, however, I had decided that I had to quietly warn someone, but who? And how?_

_A break came when a patrol of Stormwind Calvary came riding through, separating me from Edwin and company. VanCleef immediately began stirring up trouble with them and had temporarily forgotten about me. I quickly slipped away and made my way into the Dwarven District. I had to stop and make sure I wasn't being followed._

_I hadn't really known fear until that day. I didn't like it at all. I feared for my own safety. But more importantly, I feared for my family. After making sure I wasn't followed, I turned and carefully made my way into Old Town. I couldn't go into the Keep. There were too many Stonemason's Guild members there who would recognize me._

_I put my cloak's hood over my head in hopes of hiding my face and entered the SI:7 building. After a minute of just trying to sulk in a corner and not be noticed, I realized that I was actually standing out by doing such a thing there. So, I approached one of the agents and told him that it was imperative that I speak with someone in charge right away- preferably Mathias Shaw._

_The rogue ignored me. The agents were all busy just trying to keep up with helping the Stormwind Guard maintain peace among the growing crowds in the streets. I finally had decided to make my way upstairs in search of help. After I reached the top of the stairs, I heard a scuffle and thud behind me. _

_On the floor lay one of Edwin's right-hand rogues in a pool of his own blood. Mathias Shaw was standing over him, cleaning off his short sword. "If I had arrived a second later, you'd be dead now, Mr. Alexston." He put his sword away and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now tell me why this man would risk coming in here of all places to kill you?"_

_I babbled out as much as I could about the riot and the impending attack on the SI:7 building. When I was done, Shaw instructed a goblin named Rinzik to take me to a safe place and watch over me. I didn't know what had happened after that. It wasn't until much later, when Shaw returned with a man named Count Erlgadin that I had found out about Queen Tiffin's death along with how VanCleef and my former guild had been run out of Stormwind. _

_The whole time I had been waiting there, I had thought about how my life had been turned upside down all because of Edwin VanCleef. I realized with dismay that the man had put his own desires above even what was best for his guild. But he had convinced his guild that what they wanted was what he wanted. He was a smooth talker and excelled in his rogue abilities._

_That was when I had made a vow never to befriend a rogue again. They just couldn't be trusted._

_But there was more to worry about right now. "Baros Alexston," the Count said. "On behalf of the House of Nobles, I want to thank you for your effort in trying to stop the riot. I only wish more could have been done."_

_I said nothing in response. I hadn't been able to stop the riot. I'd only been able to maybe save SI:7...maybe. Who knows. Maybe they would have survived without my warning. And then I'd have put my life in jeopardy for nothing._

"_I know this seems like bad timing, Mr. Alexston, but we'd like to offer you the job of City Architect of Stormwind." I knew that had been Edwin's job until today. "We're well aware of your skills and both the House of Nobles and the citizens of Stormwind look upon you with respect. We need to fix the damages that have been done and put this ugly event in our history behind us quickly. And we need you to do it. You already know these walls and buildings. There's no better person for the job. Will you accept?"_

_I gave him a look of disbelief. "No. I'm sorry. But VanCleef is still out there. Right now, there's probably still doubt about my involvement in this. But if I accept that position, I might as well paint a red and white target on my back and walk right into the middle of wherever he went to. I have a family to think about, Count. I can't accept this position. I'm sorry." I stood up and moved away, trying to think about what I could do now. Maybe I'll apply for a job in Ironforge with the Royal Stonecutter's Union there._

"_Mr. Alexston, would you reconsider?" It was Shaw speaking now. "Count Erlgadin is right. What Stormwind really needs right now is stability and a return to normalcy. We can't show any weakness to our enemies who would use this as an opportunity to weaken us further and try to defeat us. Do you really want that on your conscience? Don't you have any love for your city?"_

_My eyes snapped in Shaw's direction. "Don't you have any family, Shaw? No? Well, I do! And I have to think about them first! I am not willing to risk their lives for this job! There are other skilled architects and engineers. Talk to them."_

"_Most of them left with VanCleef, Mr. Alexston. And of those that remain, we don't trust...except you. Because you tried to help us." Mathias looked me in the eyes. "If you're concerned about VanCleef, I promise to have my agents protect you and your family."_

"_What good is the promise of a rogue!" My temper flared at full force. "VanCleef was my friend! He betrayed me. He betrayed my family. He betrayed my homeland! Dammit, he was your friend, too, and look what he had planned for you! And he was a rogue!"_

"_Not all rogues are-"_

"_You're a rogue! You expect me to believe you? It's not your life and family on the line!" I could hear the silence as Mathias Shaw regarded me with a cool stare._

"_Mr. Alexston, if VanCleef was not a concern, if you were not fearful for your and your family's life, would you take the job?"_

_I had to pause and calm my temper before replying. "Yes."_

_Shaw looked at the noble and asked him to please step out until further notice. Once he was gone, Shaw turned back to me. "Mr. Alexston, there is a special promise written in the rogue's unspoken code of ethics. Yes, we have a code of ethics. Yes, it's known only to rogues...until now._

"_This promise is called a blood-promise, and it's more than just making a vow. When a rogue makes a blood-promise, he mixes his blood with whomever he is making the vow to, making them blood-brothers. And it's not just in name. They literally become family. The bond is there to make sure that the vow is not broken. If it ever gets broken, the one who broke the promise will have basically committed suicide because he will be a target from any and all rogues who find out about his broken promise."_

_I considered his words, and knew what the man was possibly offering. "You would make such a promise?"_

"_If it's the only way for you to trust me. I don't say this lightly, Mr. Alexston. I don't particularly care for binding myself to you and your family. But I fully believe that Stormwind needs you. And if I'm to make a promise to you, I must elicit one from you as well."_

"_What promise do you want from me?" I asked cautiously._

"_There are two parts to this promise. The first is that you promise to keep your word to accept the job of City Architect and always do it to the best of your ability-"_

"_What kind of man do you take me for? There's no point in doing a half-ass job-"_

"_And you will not betray our trust, like your predecessor did."_

"_Is that all?"_

"_No. The second part of your promise is to never tell anyone about this blood-promise, other than your family at your discretion. And they may not tell anyone about it either. This is for your own safety as well as mine. I have many enemies who would love to find a chink in my armor...a weak spot. And if I make this blood-promise, you and your family would become just that for me."_

_I thought this over for a few minutes. It sounded like it might be something I could trust. But there was still the matter of my family's safety. "If I'm to put my neck on the line, then I expect the same from you, Shaw! In exchange for accepting this job I expect full protection from you and SI:7! This protection would be for not only me, but my wife, daughter, and any future family there might be!"_

_Mathias glanced at the goblin in the room who had obviously stayed to be a witness to this promise. "Baros, I can make this promise without the need for bloodflow and additional risk to you and your family."_

_I stood my ground. "I'm afraid it's the only way I will trust your promise."_

"_Then so be it." Shaw motioned to Rinzik who began to clean one of his daggers. "We use his dagger since he is the witness to the blood-promise. Roll up your sleeve."_

_I did as I was asked and saw that Mathias did the same thing. Once both arms were bare, the goblin placed the dagger against my arm and Mathias grasped my arm just below the elbow, with me grasping Mathias' arm as well. The blade of the dagger sat between our arms. We each repeated our promises, looking each other in the eyes. Rinzik pulled the blade down fast cutting the skin of both of our arms. The cuts came together and Rinzik put a hand on the sides of our arms, pressing them together to make sure our blood mingled inside each other. _

"_It is done." Those were the first and only words the goblin had spoken in the meeting._

_Mathias handed me a handkerchief to clean up the excess blood and to use as a temporary bandage. Once the evidence of the promise was cleaned up, Count Erlgadin was asked back into the room. "Sir," Shaw addressed him, "Mr. Alexston has graciously accepted your offer."_

When Baros finished telling his story, Mathias spoke up. "So, Miss Alexston ...Kristie, by the laws of this blood-promise, you could technically call me uncle. Though, please don't for security's sake."

Kristie was still taking things in. She had never realized the risks her father had taken for her and her mom. "There's been agents watching us ever since?"

"Well, up until VanCleef's death. After that, the high security wasn't needed. Since then, I just had some agents patrol the area occasionally."

Kristie said nothing more. Instead, she went up to her father and gave him a hug. Then she turned to Shaw and gave him a hug as well before returning to Adam's side.

Adam put on a grin as he wrapped his arms around Kristie, and looked at Shaw. "Does this mean that after Kristie and I are married, I get to call you Uncle Matty?"

Shaw narrowed his eyes and glanced at Maggie with an unspoken command. Obligingly, she moved and cuffed Adam on the back of the head. "Ow. I'll take that as a no."

**…**

There was a pounding on the door. "Adam?" Amy's voice was muffled by the door. Maggie opened the door and the child rushed in scared and babbling. "I tried to help, I wasn't sure- and then he threw up and fell down, and I didn't know- I just- I came here- He's sick! Really, really sick!"

Kristie held Amy by the shoulders and forced her to look at her. "Who's sick, Amy?"

The girl turned to Adam. "Your dad!"

Adam and Maggie took off as Kristie glanced at her father, asking him with just her eyes to take care of Amy. Without a word, Baros gathered the child in his arms. And Kristie left to get Dormir.

As soon as the druid answered his door, Kristie explained what had happened. She had originally thought to get Ileeya, but decided to ask her help as a last resort. The younger druid needed her rest. As Dormir went to Lord Aron's room, Kristie stopped by her father's room to ask Amy how long Aron had been sick. "About an hour, I think."

When she entered the noble's room, she could smell the foul stench of vomit. Dormir was kneeling on the floor over a prone Lord Aron, whispering some sort of spell. Adam was kneeling at Lord Aron's head, wiping his brow with his bare hand. Kristie quickly went to the bed and pulled the sheet off, tearing a strip from it and handing it to Adam. She threw the rest of the sheet over the vomit on the floor to stave off the smell for now.

Lord Aron was sweating and shaking profusely; his skin, pale and clammy. Kristie almost didn't recognize the proud noble. Her heart went out to him. He had risked a lot to free her and Amy. Whatever his past, she didn't want to see him die. She had to swallow before she could speak. "What happened?"

Adam glanced up at her, worry clearly etched in his features. "Dormir says there's poison in his system."

Kristie's hazel eyes grew wide. "How? The only thing he ingested was food from here- wait." She stopped to recall the dinner they had eaten. Lord Aron had been sitting on the other side of Amy and Kristie recalled that he hadn't touched anything on his plate. She hadn't thought much of it then. "He didn't eat here."

She glanced around the room. "He didn't touch his dinner. He couldn't have ingested poison from here."

Maggie moved closer to examine Lord Aron. "Adam, look for any cuts or needle marks." The two rogues went over his whole body. Kristie politely turned away when Maggie checked the more private areas. As usual, it didn't phase Maggie. They found nothing, however.

"Did he eat any berries or anything while you all were traveling?" Maggie looked up at Kristie.

"No. We didn't see anything. We were attacked by some Syndicate members, but none of them got near Lord Aron." She thought back farther. "The last time he ate was on the island with the Hillsbrad refugees."

Adam shook his head. "I don't see any reason for them to poison him. Kirlothenin, yes. But not Lord Aron who promised to bring their plight to the attention of the House of Nobles."

Kristie thought back then to their escape. "I can't think of anything-" Then she recalled the poison Lord Aron had drank. But he drank the antidote, didn't he? "The poison that Jerold gave him? If the forsaken hadn't given him the antidote then...wait...he would have had symptoms or been dead long before this. Jerold had said it took only twenty hours."

"Sha- shaman." Lord Aron opened his eyes. It was hard for him to speak because of the shaking he was doing. "Purged." He swallowed and tried again. "Sha-a-man p-p-purged it. I-Iron-forge."

Adam narrowed his eyes in concentration. "Shaman purged it. A shaman purged the poison in Ironforge?" Lord Aron's head bobbed up and down.

"Then...wait." Kristie was beginning to realize what had happened. "The antidote! Did you drink the antidote?" Again, his head bobbed up and down. Kristie looked at Adam and Maggie. "Are there poison antidotes that are poisonous themselves?" If anyone knew about poisons, it was a rogue.

Maggie nodded her head. "Sometimes, but usually are not as potent."

Lord Aron winced and rolled to his side so fast, Maggie barely had time to jump out of the way before he vomited again. What came out was a greenish sludge-like substance.

Dormir sighed and sat back, a sheen of perspiration on his brow. "The poison is removed now. If he survives the rest of tonight, then he will live. My healing spells have nourished his body, but it is up to his own body's natural process and will to live if he is to survive. The poison had ransacked most of his body. It was almost too late..."

It was decided that Maggie, Adam, Kristie, and Dormir would take turns staying up and watching Lord Aron to make sure he was okay. The noble was moved to a different room so Ravenholdt's servants could clean the old room. Adam slept in the room with him ...when he slept, that is.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: <em>

_In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.  
>But in the morning, beware the morning, the lion wakes at light.<em>

_In other words... Nah. I'll let you guess. _:D


	17. Chapter 17

Adam glanced up when Ileeya and Kirlothenin entered the room. The night elf immediately sat next to Lord Aron's bed to check on him. "Dormir told us what happened just a few minutes ago. How is he?" Kirlothenin stood behind Ileeya as he inquired after Adam's father.

Adam shook his head. "He's still alive." The rogue ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He watched Ileeya say a couple of her healing spells and Lord Aron's color seemed to darken a little. He stirred and opened his eyes.

"I feel terrible." Aron's voice was hoarse. Adam moved to be in his father's line of sight. "Adam."

"I'm here." Adam hadn't slept much. He didn't realize that despite his hatred and anger towards his father, he still cared about him. And dying to a forsaken's poison was the last thing he had wanted for his father. He recalled what he had told his father before all this had happened. He had wished that Lord Aron and his late brother, Reuben, had switched places. With a bit of surprise, Adam realized that he now regretted that wish.

Lord Aron's hand reached out and with just a slight hesitation, Adam took it. That was the first time they touched since, well, he couldn't remember when ...at least fourteen years. Lord Aron spoke again. "Well?" Adam flinched. Well what? "Do I have an heir?" Adam frowned. This again?

**…**

Kirlothenin watched Lord Jorach Ravenholdt step outside where the two conflicting groups were gathered. The Horde on one side, the Alliance on the other. Four of the Alliance group were missing, however. Lord Aron, Amy, Adorei, and Dormir. They were excused from this meeting with good reason. Per Ravenholdt's request, Shaw, Baros, and Maggie did not join the Alliance group. Instead, they stood near Lord Jorach. Many Assassin's League rogues surrounded both groups.

Both groups looked up at Ravenholdt expectantly. He had asked them to meet him outside when he announced he had come to a decision. "I trust you all had a good night's rest?" He paused, though none responded. "I thought long and hard about your conflict and decided that your conflict is not mine. However, it has been brought to my land and therefore, I will use the rules I provide to those in my Assassin's League."

Kirlothenin frowned. They weren't a part of this Assassin's League. Why should they comply to their rules? "And what are these rules?"

Ravenholdt glanced at him for a moment before looking back at the crowd before him. "If you agree, you will fight your battle in the Judgment Ring. I have chosen leaders for each of your groups. Mr. Jerold Grimmort for the Horde. And Mr. Adam..." Lord Jorach glanced at the human, apparently unaware of the man's last name.

"Boxley. _Sir_ Adam Boxley," the rogue replied to the surprise of many of their group. Adam gave Jerold a hard look. "Son of Lord Aron Boxley." Kirlothenin allowed himself a slight, but sad smile. The man had finally forgiven his father.

To this, Lord Jorach merely raised an eyebrow in his own surprise to Adam's relation, but continued with his short speech. "Sir Adam Boxley will lead the Alliance group. My choice for leadership is based purely on the fact that you two are the first ones who stepped forward from your respective groups to speak to me when you had arrived.

"Gentlemen, you are to each choose one champion who will fight in the Judgment Ring. I believe you are both familiar with this ring and its rules. Your champions are not to kill each other. Should Boxley's champion win, he will be allowed to lead his group out of here, while the other group is detained. Should Grimmort's champion win, my assassins will aid him in making sure Boxley's group is returned to imprisonment. If you accept these terms, step forward."

After a minute's hesitation, Jerold stepped forward. Adam glanced at those around him as though to ask their opinions. No one shook their heads, so he stepped forward as well. "Good!" Lord Jorach clapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth. "You have fifteen minutes to choose your champions."

Adam, Kristie, Kirlothenin, Ileeya, and Jelune huddled up to discuss who to send in the ring. Kristie was automatically out, as was Ileeya. Despite their successful escape, they were still not experienced fighters. Jelune spoke up. "I'll fight. Kirlothenin can't do anything with those shackles on. And you're tired, Adam."

Adam shook his head. "I've fought in this ring once before, Jelune. I respect your abilities, but this ring is small. It's not designed for hunters. It was designed for close combat fighting. Besides, you don't have a weapon."

Jelune protested. "But you're tired from last night, Adam. You'll be sluggish."

"I didn't say I would be going in the ring." Adam almost smirked at Jelune's surprised face before he looked at Kirlothenin. "Did you mean it when you said you almost always won in those arenas?"

Kirlothenin nodded as he tried to figure out what Adam was up to. "But I never handicapped myself to the extent of not being able to use my magic. You or Jelune would be better suited-"

"Do you trust me?"

The mage studied the man's face. There was a twinkle in his eyes. He was definitely up to something. And he realized that, yes, he did trust him. "Oddly enough, I do."

"Good. Then you're going in that ring as our champion." Adam raised a hand to stop Jelune's, Kristie's, and Ileeya's protests and looked at them with a smile. "Trust me."

Jerold waited until Adam announced his choice of champion before snickering and saying something to his group. He then announced Gavor as his champion.

Everyone stepped over to the ring, which wasn't a ring at all. It was more of an oval area marked out with wooden pegs and rope. Some old, wooden bleachers surrounded it. Lord Ravenholdt stepped into the ring and motioned for someone to come forward. This was an aging orc with tufts of white hair, a thinly braided beard, and a simple white robe.

"Gentlemen. This is Master Kang. The Judgment Ring is his domain and he will be officiating. As with every fight within the ring, his word goes. Now, will the two champions please step into the ring."

Kirlothenin glanced at Adam, unsure if he had made the right choice. But the rogue only motioned for him to enter the ring. The mage closed his eyes briefly to get himself to focus then stepped in. At least he still had his sword.

Gavor grinned maliciously. He was obviously thinking this was going to be easy. Kirlothenin ignored the warlock as he prepared himself for battle. This was no time for self-doubt. He looked at the orc who was studying him.

Master Kang stepped up to Kirlothenin and held up one of the shackles, examining the runes inscribed on them. "You are a magic-user?" Kirlothenin nodded and told him he was a mage. "And does this prevent you from using your magic?" Again he nodded. "Are there keys to these?"

Jerold Grimmort stepped forward. "He must fight in those shackles. It's part of the deal." The undead looked to Ravenholdt for confirmation.

"I told you, Master Kang's word goes in the ring. Your champions have already presented themselves."

The orc shook his head. "My ring holds only honorable fights. I will not allow this man to fight in shackles that prevent him from using all of his abilities."

Now Jerold looked annoyed. But he gave a grim smile and said, "I'm afraid I didn't bring the keys with me."

Master Kang waved the undead off. "We don't need keys." He turned to a female orc rogue near him. "Please ask Mr. Wolfe to come here. His services are needed."

Jerold was now very annoyed as he turned to Lord Jorach Ravenholdt. "You said no one was to remove those shackles."

"I also said that Master Kang's word goes in the ring. I believe you can withdraw your champions, though that hasn't happened before. Master Kang, can they change their champions?"

The orc nodded his head. "In the event that either of the champions cannot perform their duty, then the leaders must step in and fight instead."

Kirlothenin now began to smile as he saw Jerold scowl at the prospect of having to fight Adam by himself. The odds were definitely in Adam's favor. The undead man protested to Ravenholdt who only raised his eyebrows. "Mr. Grimmort, did you or did you not agree to the Judgment Ring to resolve the issue?"

"I did." He glared accusingly at the guild leader. "I can't help but wonder if you were favoring the Alliance, Mr. Ravenholdt."

To this, the guild leader merely tilted his head slightly. "Tell me, Mr. Grimmort, who chose the champions?"

"I did and he did." Jerold pointed to Adam without looking at him.

"Now, how could I favor anyone if I did not choose either champion?"

Jerold didn't answer. He couldn't help but think the man had manipulated this, but he had no proof whatsoever. "What's to say that the mage won't teleport away once he's free?"

Lord Jorach glanced at the blood elf then back at Jerold. "If he does that, then you automatically win and the others here will be taken prisoner. My agents will personally escort them to wherever you want. And then I'll send more after Mr. Dawnwhisper here. Understood?" He glanced at Kirlothenin, who gravely nodded his understanding. Jerold stepped away, having no more protests.

A man approached Kirlothenin and introduced himself as Winstone Wolfe. He examined Kirlothenin's shackles and pulled out a lockpicking kit. It took longer than normal due to the complicated lock mechanism, but the expert lockpicker had the shackles off within minutes.

The mage rubbed his raw wrists and tossed an approving look at Adam as he could feel the magic within him stir once more. Adam had a broad grin on his face. He obviously had known that Master Kang wouldn't allow the shackles. With a sudden show of respect, Kirlothenin bowed his head towards Adam's unexpected wisdom. He then focused his attention on the warlock who had summoned his felhunter.

Both spell casters cast wards and armored themselves in preparation for the fight. Master Kang stood in the middle of the ring with Gavor on one side and Kirlothenin on the other. He raised his hand unceremoniously and said, "Begin!" before stepping quickly out.

The warlock immediately began casting something. Kirlothenin counterspelled him and had to quickly dodge the felhunter. Not only did he have to avoid its sharp teeth, he had to pay attention to if the demon removed his wards and other spells that helped him survive.

Kirlothenin felt alive for the first time in ages. Having been unable to do anything for the past three days, he was very happy to be able to do anything. He knew the others were relying on him and he was confident of his own abilities. Pain pierced through him as one of the warlock's spells hit him. Kirlothenin cast his frost nova spell, binding the felhound in place as he moved away from it once more. He cast his arcane bolts towards the warlock, then ducked to avoid a shadowbolt.

Apparently, there was some sort of magical enchantment on the Judgment Ring that didn't allow the magic to leave the borders, thus the spectators were safe from errant spells. More pain throughout his system let him know that the warlock's continuous damage spells were well at work, wreaking havoc on his body.

Gritting his teeth, Kirlothenin cast a spell that blasted the warlock with a cone of cold air, freezing his muscles and slowing him down. The mage felt one of his protective spells fall off and turned to see the felhunter looking to cast its own spell to remove another of Kirlothenin's wards. He shot a frost bolt at it, but suddenly felt himself grow very scared, the urge to flee overpowered anything else and his legs took him to the other side of the ring. By the time he had regained control of his emotions, Gavor had poured more of his spells into his body.

The blood elf quickly removed a curse, then stole the warlock's fel armor spell. But almost as soon as he had gotten it, he lost it to the felhunter. Kirlothenin knew he had to deal with the demon first or else all of his protective spells were going to disappear. And if that happened, the warlock's spells would be hitting him all the harder. He aimed a frostfire bolt towards the felhunter, but suddenly felt himself weaken as his life energies began to be drained from him. Kirlothenin counterspelled Gavor to stop the life drain spell. He then polymorphed the warlock into a sheep.

Pain tore into his leg as the felhunter bit him. Kirlothenin couldn't help but let out a yell of pain as he cast a frost nova spell, binding the demon to the ground again. He stepped back and cast a frost bolt into the creature, followed by an arcane bolt and a frostfire bolt. The demon fell over, out for the count now.

A burning pain hit his shoulder and he turned to see an ebon imp beginning to cast another fireball. Kirlothenin instantly cast his arcane explosion, knocking the imp out, but also damaged Gavor which canceled the polymorph spell. Kirlothenin cast his protective spells once more, and had to cast a ward that allowed his magical energies to absorb the damage from the warlock for a short time.

His ward was cast just in time as Gavor let loose with a blood curdling howl. Terror filled him once again and Kirlothenin was overwhelmed with the urge to flee. More damaging spells hit his body as he struggled to regain control of his fears. Both his magical and life energies were getting low. Kirlothenin cast an ice block around himself. This nullified the lingering spells that the warlock had pelted him with. It also gave him time to come up with a plan.

The downside to the ice block was that Gavor also had time to plan. Kirlothenin saw him recast his own protection spells and conjured a green orb, absorbing it into his body. He then began to summon another demon. Kirlothenin canceled his ice block spell and counterspelled the warlock's summon. Gavor was not happy about that, but Kirlothenin didn't care. He cast his mirror image spell and three Kirlothenins appeared. They ran around quickly to confuse the warlock. The mage then summoned his water elemental.

Gavor gave a cackle and banished the elemental, then summoned an infernal to drop in the middle of the images, causing damage to them all, including Kirlothenin, and making the images disappear. Kirlothenin began to cast a frostbolt when he realized that his magical energies were just about gone. The blood elf realized that the warlock had more stamina than he did and was relying on that to survive the fight.

Well, there were ways around that, he thought. Kirlothenin quickly canceled the frostbolt spell and instead spellstole the warlocks fell armor once more. That depleted him of the last of his magic, but he had one more trick up his sleeve. Calling upon a faint connection to the Sunwell, he cast an arcane torrent on the warlock, interrupting whatever spell the forsaken was casting, and gaining some more magical energy. He then cast his blink spell, appearing just behind Gavor and surprising him. The warlock's surprise grew even more when Kirlothenin unsheathed his sword and immediately speared the forsaken in the gut.

Gavor fell back as Kirlothenin pulled the short sword out of the undead man's body and quickly moved to lay the weapon across Gavor's neck. "Yield!" he demanded. The warlock only looked up at him with cold hatred. He was refusing to yield, knowing that killing wasn't allowed. But with the sword at his throat, Gavor couldn't get up either, especially with the major wound to his body.

Master Kang stepped back into the ring. "I declare the mage the winner." A cheer went up from the Alliance group and the spectators who had watched the fight. Kirlothenin backed off, breathing hard. With the adrenaline of the fight leaving him, his limbs lost their strength and his knees buckled. Adam and Jelune caught him, each putting an arm around their shoulder's.

A familiar tingling sensation let him know that Ileeya had cast a rejuvenating spell on him. He could feel his life energies slowly return. It would take time, however, to replenish his magical energies. "Let's get you to a room to lie down," Adam said. All Kirlothenin wanted to do was go to sleep. The fight had lasted longer than he had expected. Gavor was obviously experienced in fighting. And if Kirlothenin hadn't had training as a battle mage, the warlock might have won.

**…**

Mathias Shaw was torn. On the one hand, he was glad that Kirlothenin had won. In fact, he wasn't surprised at all considering what he knew of the elf. He wasn't sure if the blood elf knew he had spies watching him from time to time. Anyone who could sneak past Jaina Proudmoore's barriers in Onyxia's Lair, steal something, fight a drake, and disappear had to get the attention of SI:7's leader. Ever since then Mathias had been researching just who this elf was.

As he watched Kirlothenin being led out of the ring, his eyes flickered to the other opponent, and the reason for his trepidation right now. At the moment, he seriously wished he had some authority here. The warlock was being helped by a forsaken dreadguard and shadowpriest. The fact that they were leaving, didn't bother him. The fact that the warlock was smiling, did. He quickly glanced at Jerold, who was talking quietly to a mage and a forsaken rogue. He had a strong suspicion that they were not going to just give up.

But, there were other matters to attend first. Mathias followed Lord Ravenholdt, Baros, and Maggie into Jorach's office. "So Baros," Ravenholdt said, "it looks like your daughter and her friends can leave as soon as they are ready. I fulfilled my end of the bargain." He had a big smile on his face.

Mathias positioned himself between the architect and the noble as Baros crossed his arms and asked, "How did you do it? I mean, you didn't know that Adam would choose Kirlothenin. And you didn't know how well the mage would fight. I say it was just luck!"

Jorach chuckled and moved behind his desk. "It's true that I gambled on the mage's skills. But I was fairly certain that Adam would choose him as his champion."

Mathias glanced at him now, curious. "How?"

Ravenholdt sat at his desk and pulled out a blank parchment and quill. "Adam has fought in that ring before. He knows Master Kang's rules." He began to write something on the parchment, then paused and looked up at them with a grin. "A certain elderly orc came to me last night saying he recognized a certain human. Apparently, he had given him a few lesson's in the ring a few years ago. And anyone who has been trained by Kang knows he insists on a fair fight."

"What does that have to do with Adam choosing the mage instead of himself or the hunter?"

Ravenholdt wrote a few more sentences before replying. "Because, my dear Baros, the reason the group came here in the first place was to get the mage free. It was an opportunity to do so, and fortunately, Adam knew it." He wrote a few more lines and the others grew silent.

Another few minutes and Ravenholdt blew on the fresh ink to get it to dry faster. "Now, Mr. Alexston, if you would kindly sign this agreement, you can start your work on my renovations."

Baros took the paper and read it, but didn't sign it. "I didn't agree to this." Mathias stiffened slightly. The game has changed. Didn't Baros realize that?

"Yes you did." Lord Ravenholdt was quick to reply. "We made an agreement last night. I fulfilled my end of the bargain..." He held up the quill.

But Baros was still being stubborn. "We agreed that I would pay you for your services. I had intended to pay with gold, Jorach." Baros smiled, apparently thinking he had finally one-upped the man. Shaw caught Maggie's gaze. She was aware of the change as well.

Ravenholdt slowly put the quill down and stood up, locking eyes with Baros. "If you recall my exact words, Mr. Alexston, I said, '_that would be something more worthy of the payment I expect'. _At no time did I mention what _you_ expected to pay."

The noble's voice was calm, but Mathias could tell that Jorach was running out of patience. In Ravenholdt's mind, it was no longer a case of him trying to woo Baros' business. Lord Jorach considered the case closed and a deal had been made. If Baros didn't accept this, things could get ugly real fast.

Baros opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. "Damn. You did say that, didn't you." He sighed, resigning himself to the situation. "Alright Jorach. You win." He picked up the parchment to read it again, not noticing the two agents beside him silently letting out their breaths.

Lord Jorach grinned and sat back down. "See, I knew I liked you, Baros."

The architect mumbled something about there being too many rogues in his life as he picked up the quill. He paused and looked at Jorach. "If I sign this, I'm free to go?" At the man's nod, he signed his name and tossed the quill on the table. "I'll draw up some blueprints and get them to you by the end of the week."

"Thank you, my friend. I look forward to your business." Jorach picked up the contract and folded it.

"I'm not your friend!" Baros turned and left the room, followed by Maggie.

Mathias Shaw lingered in the office, watching the noble. "You know, I think he likes you."

Jorach smiled. "Why not? I'm a likeable fellow." He put the contract in a drawer. "I'm actually rather surprised he agreed so quickly, Mathias. I was afraid I was going to have to resort to a more serious threat to get him to uphold his end of our bargain."

"It's a matter of perspective, Jorach. Before, you were just a bully. Now, you were business with something more important to offer...his daughter's safety."

Ravenholdt leaned forward, lacing his fingers together on the desk. His voice was quiet, but serious. "You might want to warn him that it is unwise to break a contract with me."

"I won't have to. He's a man of his word."

"Good." He sat back again and cocked an eyebrow. "Now, I'm curious. Why doesn't he like rogues?"

"VanCleef. Baros was his assistant, second in charge of the Stonemason's Guild. He considered the man his friend. Then Edwin screwed him over, big time. Now he takes his hurt out on rogues just because VanCleef was one."

"As I recall, VanCleef was your friend as well. In fact, you taught him all he knew."

Mathias was silent for a moment. "His betrayal to me was painful as well, Jorach. But, I live in a world of betrayals and know how to deal with it. Baros is an innocent."

"You sound like you care about him," Jorach observed.

Shaw shrugged. "After fourteen years of having to deal with the man, I guess I'm used to him." He then turned to leave but paused at the door. "If I were you, I'd send men to make sure those forsaken don't do anything rash, or stupid, or both."

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: <em>

_So, in case you didn't figure out my rather ambiguous hint in my A/N from the last chapter, Kirlothenin was the 'sleeping lion' who finally 'woke up' and got to do something for once. :)_  
><em>I hope the fight scene was okay. I don't have a top level warlock or mage, and I don't pvp, so I did the best that I could with just spell descriptions from wowhead. :) Things are going to get intense next chapter.<em>  
><em>And thanks again for the reviews! They are much appreciated!<em>


	18. Chapter 18

Jerold watched the Judgment Ring empty and the spectators leave. He knew the fight would be close between the mage and warlock. But Gavor had been smart enough to keep forcing the mage to use up his magical energies during the fight. It was just as Jerold had hoped. If the warlock couldn't beat him, then make him use up all of his magic at least. Now the elf couldn't portal them away right away. He waited until no one was within earshot before speaking quietly to Lara. "No one saw you leave or return during the fight. Did find his room?"

"Yes."

"Good." He then addressed Mason, the rogue they had hired in Undercity. "Were you successful in your endeavor?"

"I was. I found three who could be bought and told them what to do."

"Good. Go to Gavor and Balire, the priest. As soon as they are ready, implement the plan." Without another word, Lara and Mason turned and walked away.

**…**

Kirlothenin eased himself onto the bed and let himself relax. He was very tired, but still felt compelled to look at Adam with a smirk. "Was that good enough for you?"

The rogue grinned and shook his head. "Nah. You cut it too close. You should have just stabbed him from the get go."

"Then I wouldn't have been able to put on such a show and gotten all this praise." Kirlothenin grinned genuinely now. Then his smile faded a little as he looked at the three people in the room with him. A year ago he would never have thought he would be the father of a three-month-old baby, whose mother was a kaldorei. Nor would he have thought he would genuinely call her brother and a human friends. But as odd as it may seem, especially as both had wanted to beat him to a pulp when they first met, he truly did consider them friends.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Ugh! Jelune, we gotta do something about that ego of his!"

In an uncharacteristic show of amusement, Jelune raised a long eyebrow. Throwing Adam a sidelong glance, he asked, "Think we can take him now?"

"I dunno." Adam rubbed his chin "We'll have to disarm him, first. That sword arm of his is much more intimidating than his magic." Kirlothenin laughed.

"Okay. That's enough, you three." Ileeya eyed them. "Kir still needs some more healing and some rest. I'll meet you in Lord Aron's room when I'm done here."

Smiling, Jelune followed Adam to Lord Aron's room. The noble was sitting up now, holding Adorei. Kristie was telling him, Amy, and Dormir about the events of the morning and that they were free to go home as soon as Kirlothenin was rested enough.

Adam jumped in and began to go into more detail about the fight than Kristie had. Jelune saw Kristie frown a little at the talk of the fight and noticed her glance at Amy. She obviously didn't approve of his talking in detail about the fight in front of the child. "Amy? Are you hungry?" Kristie asked. The girl nodded. "Would you like to go with me to the dining hall for some food? Maybe we can bring something back for everyone else?"

Adam and Dormir nodded their heads, but Jelune saw Adam's brows furrow a little in concern. Jelune guessed the rogue didn't want them going off by themselves. "I'll go with you," Jelune offered. He wanted to give Adam the opportunity to talk to his father some more, now that they were on speaking terms again.

Adam gave Jelune a nod and the three left the room. Finding the dining room was easy. There were some staff coming and going and apparently, snack foods were left out for the various guests. They asked one of the people who worked there if it was okay to take the food or would they need to pay for it first. The servant said there was no charge for Ravenholdt's special guests, then offered to send some up to their rooms. Kristie thanked her and then chose some grapes for her and Amy to snack on for now.

Because Amy hadn't been outside yet today, they decided to stroll out around the garden that Kristie and Jelune had spotted earlier. It was a lovely garden with various vegetables, mushrooms and some fruits growing in it. It was cared for by Simone Cantrell, who called herself a landscape architect. They complimented her on the garden.

The three stepped up to what looked like a target area where the rogues practiced their aim with throwing knives. Master Kang was there with one of his students and upon seeing the group, he approached. "Excuse me, I believe I had seen you come in here with a pet," he addressed Jelune. "You are a hunter?"

Jelune nodded and the orc smiled. "I have a student who has asked how to use a bow. As we generally focus on throwing weapons here, we aren't experts with the bow and arrow. I was wondering, could give him a few tips?"

"I would be willing. Unfortunately, I have no weapons with me."

"I can give you a bow and a quiver of arrows as payment for your services. It is not of high quality. It's just an old bow left here by someone a long time ago."

The orc gave Jelune the bow and introduced the student. As Kristie and Amy watched, the hunter gave a quick lesson on how to string the bow, how to aim, and how to compensate for wind and distance when aiming. It was a very basic lesson, but probably the most important one. He let loose one arrow, hitting the target in the center. It felt good to hold a bow again.

As the lesson ended, one of Ravenholdt's rogues approached and introduced himself before saying, "Ms. Alexston. Lord Ravenholdt would like a word with you in his office."

"What does he want?" Kristie asked.

The rogue only shrugged. "I didn't ask."

Kristie looked at Amy and Jelune spoke up. "If you want, I'll return with Amy to your father's room." With a nod, he watched her walk off with Stavron before slinging the quiver and bow over his shoulder and taking Amy's hand.

By the time they had gotten to the base of the stairs that lead to their rooms, they had run into Mathias Shaw. "Where's Kristie?" he asked after mentioning he had seen them earlier at the shooting range.

"Ravenholdt wanted a word with her. She's being escorted by Stavron, one of his men, a human."

Shaw furrowed his brow in thought. "Wait. Stavron, you said?" At Jelune's nod, Shaw's frown deepened. He was about to ask if something was wrong when Mathias gave him a no-questions-asked command. "Take Amy quickly back to Baros. I'm going to go see what Ravenholdt wanted with Kristie."

By the time they had gotten upstairs, there was another of Ravenholdt's rogues standing in the hallway, talking to Adam.

"-venholdt has asked that you stay in your rooms until you are ready to leave. He doesn't trust the forsaken. I was asked to patrol this corridor."

Jelune narrowed his eyes. He should have known the forsaken wouldn't just give up. But it was good to see Ravenholdt stop being neutral and actually do something to help them out...even if it was almost too late. Kir should be rested soon and they can teleport back home.

Adam finally saw Jelune and Amy. "Where's Kristie?"

"Ravenholdt wanted a word with her. We ran into Shaw who said he was going to talk to them." Adam nodded his head with a look of relief in his face upon hearing Shaw was going to check on her. With that done, Jelune and Amy entered Baros' room where the senior and Maggie were playing a game with cards.

**…**

Ileeya had kept her eyes closed, forcing herself to concentrate on her healing spells on Kirlothenin. She had wanted to cast her spells on Kirlothenin while he was in the ring. A part of her had figured that her healing him was not allowed during the fight. She found it to be true when she had actually attempted it. The same barrier that had prevented errant spells from leaving the ring, also prevented her spells from entering it.

As she finished her healing spells, Ileeya felt Kirlothenin's hand take hers. Looking down, her silver eyes locked onto his green ones. She could feel her chest constrict a little and tried to will herself to look away from him, but she couldn't. All she could think about was how close he had come to death. "You scared me in that ring, Kir." Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

The mage propped himself up on an elbow, despite how tired he was. "Not much confidence in me, hm?" His hand brushed her cheek, leaving a warm, tingling sensation. She had to keep herself from leaning into his caress.

"That's the first time I've ever had to stand aside and watch you fight." Just about any other time he had fought in her presence, he had been either fighting her, or alongside her. She finally was able to look away, but his hand gently guided her head to look in his direction again.

"You were worried."

"Yes."

His voice was barely audible when he asked, "Why?"

Ileeya suddenly found it hard to breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest as she searched for just why she had been worried. She cared about him. She knew that. But now... She was discovering that this caring she had felt for him had broken through to something more at some point the past few days. However, she found herself unable to speak the words that she knew he longed to hear. Her eyes lowered to his lips and on impulse, she moved forward and kissed him. This wasn't the gentle kiss they had shared the previous night. She felt her heart pour out into the embrace. If she couldn't say that she loved him with her voice, then she could let him know how she felt through the passion of her kiss.

She had no idea how long the kiss lasted, but finally had to pull back, out of breath. Her eyes searched his for his reaction. There was a tired smile on his face as he pulled her closer. "Mm... I think I'll go back in that ring."

She didn't expect him to say this. Her long eyebrows came together as she frowned in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, if you're going to kiss me like that after a fight in the ring..."

Ileeya felt her cheeks grow warm as she blushed, then smiled before he pulled her in again for another kiss. A minute later, she moved back and sighed. He had fallen asleep with a smile on his face. She covered him up with the blanket and stepped out of the room quietly. He needed his sleep. And she needed to check on her other patient.

**...**

A flash of light and the tell-tale sound of a magical portal in the room woke him. Kirlothenin wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but it must not have been very long, seeing as he didn't feel well rested. Opening his eyes, he quickly sat up, glaring at who was in his room. N'Lar- Lara. How did she get in here? "You're not welcome here, forsaken!" he growled out. He was still depleted of most of his magical energies. He stood up and his hand went for his sword, but it wasn't on him. It was on a table just out of reach.

"I'm not here to attack you, Kirlothenin." Lara raised her hands in a show of submissiveness.

Kirlothenin narrowed his eyes in distrust. "What do you want?"

"An exchange of information."

"No. Leave. Now."

Lara hesitated, then surprised Kirlothenin by kneeling in front of him. "I was wrong to leave you like I did. But, I didn't believe you when you said that I was your wife in life. But since then, I've had time to think about it and I realized that you were right. I- I do carry a dead baby within my womb."

Kirlothenin felt his head real at this revelation. His unborn son or daughter was here, not just N'Lar. _Lara_, he mentally corrected himself. And she was now admitting to being his former wife. He frowned. This woman, whoever she was, had betrayed him. He couldn't trust her. "What do you want, woman?"

"You are in danger. Jerold has plans...plans I can tell you about, but first..." She stood slowly. "First, I want a memory."

"A what?"

"A memory. If you were my husband in life, then you have many memories of me. I have no memories of who I was in life. You can mind link with me and share a memory or two with me." She paused, then as an afterthought said, "Please?"

"What are these plans that Jerold has?" Kirlothenin kept his voice hard and cold, but inside he knew he was mixed up emotionally. Thoughts of N'Lar as she once was resurfaced, and he could feel the pain of loss. At the same time, he knew N'Lar was standing before him. No. She wasn't N'Lar any longer. She was Lara, a forsaken mage. He couldn't trust her.

"I'll only tell you that it involves you, Ileeya, and your daughter. He wants to sell Adorei. I know how he plans to do it, but I'll tell you no more unless you share with me a memory of who I was in life! It's all I want right now. I beg of you..."

Kirlothenin was torn. He didn't trust her. But at the same time, he needed information from her to make sure Ileeya and Adorei were safe. With trepidation, he slowly nodded his head once. He would initiate the mind link in order to control it. He had regained some of his magical energies, but not a lot. Perhaps, he could try to search her mind for the truth while they were linked.

He reached up his hand and touched the cold dead skin of her temple. He closed his eyes and his mind touched hers. Once they were connected, he chose a memory of a time when they were at Dalaran, tossing a coin in the fountain there. N'Lar was laughing at a joke he had said. In the memory, he had smiled at her and said he loved her laugh.

Something felt odd with his connection and N'Lar in his memory spoke to him. "Don't fight it. I just want another memory." His mind began to sift through more memories and he realized that she was trying to take control of the mind link. He concentrated and regained control, but they were now sharing a different memory. This one was just before she had moved out of Dalaran and was packing their things to move back to Silvermoon.

"So, this is just before it happened." She was speaking to him through her dream image of N'Lar. "This was one of my last memories?" Inside his mind, he nodded as his heart constricted. Having this live-looking image of N'Lar speaking to him was tearing him apart. He had to remind himself that it wasn't her. It wasn't N'Lar he was speaking to. It was the undead woman, Lara.

He was about to break the connection when she spoke again inside the memory. "He's going to kill you and Ileeya. Then he plans to sell Adorei to the highest bidding apothecary."

Kirlothenin forgot he was still speaking inside this memory. "When? How?"

"Soon! You need to get them out of here now! Do you have enough magical energies to create a portal?"

"No. I will soon, though."

Her blue eyes seemed to implore him. "You must gain more energy now. He's probably on his way! You can tap some of my magical energies." Outside his mind, he could feel her put her arm under his free hand. He frowned. He hadn't tapped anyone of their magical energies since before Ileeya had first trapped him at her house. He had gone through the withdrawal pains of his addiction to arcane magic and didn't want to deal with that again.

Inside the memory, N'Lar put a hand on his cheek. "Please, my love. I don't want to see you die. And you don't want to see Ileeya die. Nor do you want your child to become an apothecary's guinea pig!"

Kirlothenin looked into her eyes and decided that dealing with withdrawal pains again was worth saving Ileeya and Adorei. He said the spell to draw out the magical energies from N'Lar and absorb them into himself. He felt a small rush at the feeling of the energies entering his body. His blood seemed to flow a little faster and tingled a little, and he took just a moment to enjoy the feeling.

But something was wrong. Kirlothenin felt he should have more energy than he did. He mentioned this to N'Lar. "Did you do it right?" she asked inside the memory. "Maybe you made a mistake? It's been awhile, after all, hasn't it? Here, try again. I have plenty of energy for you."

She looked sincere inside the memory and seemed to truly desire to help him. But why? It had been so long since he had seen N'Lar. How long had he desired to have her back? No. Wait. This was just a memory. He no longer desired her, didn't he? Ileeya. He had to focus on her. She was the one he cared for now. And she was in danger. He had to get back some more of his magical energies. He tapped N'Lar's magical energies and drew it into himself, once more feeling the familiar tingling sensation within his blood as well as that old familiar feeling of wanting just a little bit more. He had to be careful. He couldn't take too much.

**…**

Lara kept her eyes closed, but she knew what she would see if she opened them. Gavor and Balire stood behind him. They had used invisibility potions when they had entered her portal to Kirlothenin's room so he wouldn't see them. She had found his room while the others were fighting so that she could create her portal here. Lara made sure to keep his interest inside their mind link. Jerold had said that forcing him to face her living image would serve to keep him off-balance and so far it was working. In fact, his conflicting emotions regarding her, or rather her living self, had kept him from noticing her subtle probes further into his mind. His strong concern for Ileeya and his daughter kept him from realizing that she had successfully been able to take control of the mind link.

And with all his attention on his sappy emotions within his mind, Kirlothenin didn't notice that it was Gavor's arm he was tapping the magic from. The warlock had an ability that converted his life energies to magic energies, thus providing a rather large amount of magic for the blood elf to tap into. And if Gavor's life energies get low, Balire could heal him to build those life energies back up. Balire was also crucial in making sure that as soon as Kirlothenin tapped into those magical energies, he drained them from him.

Jerold was a genius. This was like a super concentrated dose of magic that could prove to be quite addictive to the blood elf. And if things keep going as well as they have been, the mage would keep taking and taking those energies until he was overcome by the desire for them. He would then become a Wretched who was more willing to attack his magical friends than help them. And once a Wretched, always a Wretched.

Inside the memory, she used the image of what she had looked like in real life to continue to manipulate the elf's emotions, keeping him off-guard and confused. "You didn't tap me." Her image reached up her hand and caressed his face. He was so off-balance, he didn't even realize he no longer had control of the mind link. "Try again, my love." Those sappy terms of endearment seemed to just confuse him even more.

She took advantage of his lapse in judgment to explore other parts of his mind. She found to her extreme curiosity that he had many blocks within his mind, preventing her from exploring those memories and bits of knowledge. What was he hiding? She dared not touch them or else he would be immediately aware of what she was doing and would stop his magic tapping.

She could see from his expression inside the memory that he had paused a moment to enjoy the sensation of the magical tapping. Good. "There, you did it. But you didn't take enough, darling. Take more and this time draw it deeper."

"I can't. I don't-"

"You don't want Jerold to kill Ileeya. There isn't much time, Kir. You must get your magic back and fast!"

**…**

Kirlothenin tapped the magic again, worry for Ileeya and Adorei practically consuming him. He knew he was going to have to go through withdrawal pains again. But to get everyone out of danger, he was willing to suffer the consequences. He tapped into the magic, drawing it deeper into himself and felt almost light-headed from the large dose of magic. But he still didn't feel he had enough magical energy. It was almost as if it left him as soon as he drew it in. Why was that?

He looked around inside the memory. Only, now it wasn't the room they had been staying in before N'Lar moved. It was a different memory. Which one was this? Was this a memory of when he was with N'Lar? It was dark and there were sparks of magical energy floating around. He reached out as one floated by and touched it. Immediately it was absorbed by him and he felt another rush as the magic spread inside his body. This was...potent. Regenerating magic through rest, water, and meditation did not bring such a feeling. Kirlothenin realized he had better not take in any more of these sparks. They were very addictive.

"Hurry! Jerold is coming!" N'Lar's voice came to him from...somewhere. "One more should do it!" Kirlothenin hesitated. If he let his desire for more magic overcome him, he would be of no use to his friends! But, one more? Surely he could handle one more of those magical sparks. A small one. He reached up his hand and touched another one and nearly gasped at the rush of magical energies inside his body. It still wasn't enough! He needed more. He reached up and took in another one, this time smiling at the feeling. He ignored the pounding of his heart and his breathlessness. Just one more. He felt he had more magic now. It felt good to be stronger. One more should do it. Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt a warning that something was very, very wrong and he needed to stop. Yes. Something was wrong. Ileeya was in trouble and needed him. He moved over towards another spark. It floated just out of reach. He was standing on a dark precipice. Looking around, he found that all of the magical sparks were just out of reach past the edge of the precipice. If he jumped he could reach it. He just needed to step over the edge... Alarms were going off somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind. He hesitated as his eyes stared at one of the sparks. It seemed to come closer to him, taunting him. Teasing him. He just needed to-

"By Elune! What are you doing-? GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Kirlothenin gasped as the mind link was forcibly severed and his precious magical supply was taken from him.

**…**

Kristie followed the rogue down another corridor. They had made so many turns, she was nearly lost. "Are we almost there, Stavron?"

"In here." He opened the door for her and bid her enter. She walked in and looked around with a frown. No one was in here. Wasn't she supposed to meet Jorach in his office? But, this room wasn't an office either. "You know, your father has a big mouth." She heard the door close behind her and she knew she was in trouble.

Her heart began to pound harder with a mix of fear and adrenaline. She turned stiffly around to see Stavron standing between her and the door with a malicious look on his face. Kristie forced herself to stay calm and not retreat. "He does tend to speak his mind. You shouldn't take it personally."

"Oh, it's too late for that." He took a step towards her and she involuntarily backed up. Kristie could see him grin at her fear. "Ravenholdt forbade me from doing anything to your father to teach him a lesson, but you?" He pulled out his dagger slowly. "He's put no restrictions on you. I can teach Daddy Dearest a lesson through you. And to think, I'm even getting paid to do it." He moved towards her again.

"Look, you don't want to do this. I've got some very powerful friends." She felt herself back up again.

To this, he chuckled. "You mean that mage?" He grinned, but his eyes remained hard. "He's going to be useless to anyone soon. The poor wretch."

She was immediately concerned about her newest friend. What were they going to do to Kir? She moved to the side, but he followed her, not letting her get past him to the door. She had to back up again, well aware of how close the wall behind her was getting. "Not just him. Adam. Ileeya. Dormir, Je-"

"None of which can help you, now! They will soon be incapacitated as well." He lunged forward and Kristie let her body fall to the floor, feeling the wind from his arms just missing her. She then immediately rolled towards the door, tripping Stavron as she did so. Kristie quickly stood and made it to the door, beginning to pull it open before it was slammed shut by Stavron.

She managed to let out a scream before she was shoved against the door, hitting her head on the wood. Her vision blurred for a second, and she expected his dagger to be buried in her back any second now. Instead, she was pulled away from the door, and then thrown across the room. She lost her balance and tumbled to the floor, letting out a groan of pain.

Adam had told her once not to let pain rule her mind. Her body told her to just stay down, but her mind knew it was a bad idea to do so. Kristie was on her side and pushed herself up only to be pushed against the floor and hitting her head again. Dazed, she could not fight as Stavron straddled her waist and held one of her arms as his other hand held his dagger against her throat. His eyes were almost wild as he looked down at her with a sneer. "Now for that revenge..."


	19. Chapter 19

Kristie couldn't breathe. The dagger's edge bit into her neck, as she tried to scoot back to relieve the pressure. But he rested half his weight on her mid-section and prevented her from moving. She had one free hand and used it to try to push his dagger hand away. She may as well have been trying to push a boulder as much good her efforts were doing her. Kristie's heart pounded against her ribcage as she felt herself begin to panic.

"The more you struggle, the deeper my blade cuts!" His voice growled down from above her. Tears came to her eyes as she desperately tried to keep herself still. "Good girl." The blade eased off her neck and she saw drops of blood on the blade as he raised it and let it hover over her face. Kristie closed her eyes. She didn't want to look at the dagger.

"Open your eyes!"

She gritted her teeth and opened her eyes, but looked off to the side so she wouldn't have to see his face. He waved the dagger over her face before slowly letting its tip touch her nose, then her chin, then her neck. He continued to drag the weapon down her torso. She shuddered as fear threatened to overcome her. How could she get out of this situation? She tried hard to think of past defensive lessons that Adam had given her. But all thoughts of anything but her present situation flew from her mind when she heard fabric being torn by the dagger.

Kristie felt a surge of adrenaline course through her and she gasped. Her hazel eyes flashed back to his face. He had such a malicious grin on his face. The pit of her stomach sank. Before she even realized what she was doing, her free hand shot up and she clawed his face, jabbing one of her fingers into his left eye.

Stavron automatically reached his hand to his face and cursed out in pain. This gave her an opening and she quickly slid out from under him. He grabbed her ankle and she kicked back with her free foot until he released her. She then quickly stood up but realized that he was still between her and the door. Kristie made a wide circle around him as he stood up as well, his hand coming down to reveal three scratch marks down his face. He was furious.

The rogue threw his dagger at her, but fortunately for her, his aim was off due to the use of only one eye. Kristie's gaze followed where the dagger had stuck in the wall. If she could get it, then she would have a weapon to defend herself. She quickly moved over to it and grabbed the hilt. But the blade was stuck deep in the wall. She didn't have time to try again as Stavron grabbed her by her hair and pulled her away from the dagger. He threw a string of expletives at her, rambling on about what he was going to do to her for that 'little stunt'.

And to prove his point, he grabbed his other dagger and used it cut off the mass of hair he was holding. Her head jerked forward with the sudden release and she had to catch her balance quickly. Stavron kicked at her legs, knocking her down once more. Kristie caught herself with her hands and knees, but she could feel her muscles trembling, ready to give out at any moment. "Piece by piece..." he said as her hair was dropped to the floor next to her.

His foot kicked her mid-section, knocking her over onto her back. Once again, he straddled her. "You're more trouble than you're worth." He paused to wipe some sweat and blood out of his eye while holding the dagger. "Just like your dad...you don't know when to quit!"

Kristie stared up at him as she tried to catch her breath. She felt paralyzed; her muscles refused to obey her commands. Stavron stared right back at her with a hateful sneer as he grabbed her wrists once more. Kristie couldn't give up. Not after all she'd been through. She couldn't let this man win. Despite her waning strength, she struggled against his hold on her, but now he only laughed at her feeble attempts. His laughter was cut short as a look of shock quickly replaced his disdainful snicker. She had no idea what to think as his face froze like that for a second before he toppled to the side.

Standing above them was Mathias Shaw, blood dripping from his short sword. "Good thing you don't know how to quit." He knelt down beside her, checking the cut on her neck. Kristie was still in shock over what had just happened. Mathias took off a glove and snapped his fingers in front of her face, getting her attention. "Can you stand?"

Kristie raised a shaky hand to his and he helped pull her to a standing position. She used the momentum to give him a hug as a flood of emotions suddenly poured out of her soul. She felt his arms wrap around her and his head rested on top of her own as he waited for her to regain control of herself. Once she felt she could reign herself in, she finally spoke quietly, "Thank you, ...Uncle Matty." What Adam had said in jest, she said with full sincerity of heart.

Shaw stiffened ever so slightly, but then relaxed and whispered, "Never call me that in front of anyone." Kristie pulled back, about to apologize, but he smiled at her. "But, I guess I don't mind it if we're alone." He gave her a brief smile, but quickly became serious. "We need to get back upstairs. I have a feeling more trouble is brewing."

That's when Kristie remembered what Stavron had said. "Shaw! They're going to do something to Kirlothenin!" Mathias took her hand and quickly pulled her out of the room, running towards the stairs.

**…**

Jelune stood up from the card game the four of them were playing. He rolled his shoulders and neck and glanced at the door. How long has Kirlothenin been asleep? He didn't need to retrieve all of his energy, just enough to create a portal. Perhaps Ileeya was with him now and he was already awake? It wouldn't hurt to check at least. Then again, if Ileeya was with him, maybe he had better not interrupt.

The hunter sighed. He could at least check on Adam and make sure Kristie made it back. Jelune opened the door, but as soon as he stepped out into the hall, he was stopped by the blood elf rogue who said, "Please step back in your room. It's safer that way."

"I'm just checking on my friends." Jelune started to move, but was once again stopped.

"I'm afraid I have my orders. Please return to your room." The blood elf had an impassive look on his face.

"What's going on?" Maggie's voice came from the doorway.

"This rogue thinks we'll be attacked in the hallway and doesn't think we can handle ourselves," Jelune muttered to her.

"Look, as I said, I'm just following or-"

"Sornor? What are ye doing here?" Another Ravenholdt rogue, this one a female dwarf, appeared from around the corner.

Sornor didn't turn around to look at her, though Jelune noticed he had stiffened ever so slightly. "I'm here on orders to keep the peace up here, Norine."

"Odd," Norine frowned, "Ravenholdt didnae say I'd have a partner. He asked me t' keep an eye on things up 'ere."

Now Jelune was becoming alarmed. "I'm going to check on my friends." He noticed Norine nod, but Sornor scowled and once again moved to block him.

Maggie appeared behind him suddenly with her dagger to the elf's throat. "He said he wanted to check on his friend, Sornor. Be a good boy and let him." Jelune's bow was off his shoulder in a flash, an arrow notched, but not aimed.

The hunter eyed the dwarf to see what she would do. She merely stood there watching them with a thoughtful expression. He assumed she was trying to assess the situation. "All I want to do is check on my friends. Do you have a problem with a that?" he asked her.

The dwarf shook her head as she eyed Sornor. "I dun see a problem at all." She stepped back to let Jelune pass and the night elf quickly went to Kirlothenin's room. Opening the door, he took in the sight of the three undead in the room in a flash. One of Kir's hands was on Lara's temple and she had a hand on his temple as well. Kir's other hand was on Gavor's arm and the blood elf had his eyes closed. He was breathing hard.

Immediate concern flowed through him. "By Elune! What are you doing-? GET AWAY FROM HIM!" As he warned them, he lifted his bow and shot the priest in the chest, quickly notching another arrow and shooting it at the warlock. Kirlothenin gasped as Balire fell over and Lara backed away. The warlock was hit by the arrow in the side but not in a vital spot.

Jelune notched a third arrow, but before he could shoot the mage, she had teleported herself and Gavor out of the room. He aimed the bow at the priest and approached to make sure he was out for the count. How does one tell if a forsaken was dead? Kirlothenin gasped again and Jelune turned his attention on his friend. Something in the back of his head wondered when he had begun to think of the mage as a friend. He certainly wouldn't call him a close buddy. Jelune pushed the thoughts back to concentrate on the current problem.

The room was quickly filled with Adam, Ileeya, Dormir, and Baros. He assumed Maggie had remained in the hall with Sornor. Jelune ignored them. Kirlothenin's green eyes were glowing a bit more than usual and he was shaking as though he were trying to get control of himself. He continued to gasp as his eyes fell on Ileeya and Dormir. The blood elf reached for them, then pulled back. "GET OUT!" Kirlothenin moved back as far as he could as Ileeya tried to approach, confusion in her eyes. "GET AWAY...from...me." Kirlothenin moved towards her, then stopped and moved to a farther corner of the room. "No! Ileeya go! Jelune take your sister and father out, now. Adam, too! And this!" He pointed to the dead priest as he visibly struggled to control himself. "No...magic."

That's when Jelune finally figured out what was wrong with him. Somehow the three undead had reawakened his addiction to magic. Jelune turned to pull his sister out of the room when Maggie's voice called out from the hallway. "Adam!"

**...**

Adam came out into the hallway to see the blood elf rogue unconscious on the floor. Maggie emerged from Lord Aron's room, pale. She looked at Adam, shaking her head. "Your dad..." Adam rushed into the room to find Lord Aron where he had been sitting on the bed, his face deathly pale, stab wounds in his chest, a trickle of blood escaping his mouth. "ILEEYA!"

He sat by his father's side. The man was gasping for breath. It was no wonder; the stab wounds were right over where his lungs were. "Dad! Hold on! Ileeya's coming to heal you."

"Too...late for...me, son." Lord Aron's hand moved and Adam took it. He could feel his vision blur as his eyes watered. "I-" Aron gasped for breath. "have a- always-" Ileeya arrived and began her healing spells. "lo- ved y-." The druid was joined by her father, but Lord Aron took no more breaths. Adam was overcome with emotion. He had finally reconciled with his father. All that time blaming him for his brother's death... Someone put a hand on his shoulder. Adam didn't bother looking to see who. He just stared at his father's hand in his.

"Adorei!" The startled voice was Ileeya's. "Where is she?"

Adam pushed back the grief and other emotions wracking him. He would grieve properly when there was more time. Right now, he had a job to do. Before they had left the room, Lord Aron had been holding the infant. He stood up as they all realized Adorei was gone. But Adam didn't stop to see Ileeya's and Dormir's reaction as he ran back out into the hall. He had another concern of his own. Where was Amy? He checked Baros' room. Not there. He moved back to Kirlothenin's room. Not there. "Baros! Where's Amy?"

"What do you mean, where's Amy? Shouldn't she be here?"

The voice was Kristie's and Adam turned to see her and Shaw come around the corner. He got yet another shock at her appearance. "What happened to you?" He approached her, looking closely at the cut on her neck and the missing hair at the back of her head.

"I'll tell you later. Where's Amy?" Kristie was looking past Adam and he turned to see Dormir and Ileeya go into their cat forms and run off to the opposite end of the hallway, most likely in search of Adorei.

Adam felt a surge of anger and turned just before hitting the wall with his fist. First his father died, then Amy goes missing, and now Kristie's been hurt. This was personal now. "She's missing- along with Adorei."

Mathias Shaw interrupted them. "What about Kirlothenin? We have reason to believe something is going to happen to him."

"Something did," Jelune interjected. "He's...not himself right now."

Everyone began to talk at once. Mathias let out a shrill whistle. "We're getting nowhere fast! Everyone into a room. I don't want to talk out here." He pointed at Kirlothenin's room.

"We can't." Jelune spoke up. "Kirlothenin's addiction to magic has been reawakened and possibly accelerated. It's dangerous to both him and anyone with magical abilities to be in the same room with him right now."

Adam glanced at Jelune. So that's what was going on with the blood elf. Shaw's voice grumbled out, "Fine. We'll meet in Lord Aron's room." Silence fell as Adam fought to keep control of himself. Maggie informed Mathias of the noble's death. Kristie's arms wrapped around Adam, and he held her, maybe a little too tightly.

Mathias Shaw slammed open the door of the room he was standing by. No one had occupied it before. "We meet in here then!" He pointed to Sornor. "Bring him. We'll question him when he wakes up." He turned to the dwarf. "Go tell Ravenholdt what happened here and tell him he better have the whole damn league help search for those missing kids or else he will have me to deal with! Damn the truce! He dropped the ball. Go!" The dwarf took off.

Jelune was the only one who didn't go into the room. "I don't think Kir should be alone."

Shaw nodded his head, then hesitated. He glanced in the room. "Maggie, hold the fort. I'll be back." He followed Jelune into Kirlothenin's room to see the proud mage, struggling with his addiction. Shaw had seen this before with some of the high elves he had contact with. "Kirlothenin?"

The blood elf shot him a glance but said nothing. "Look, I don't care if you think I'm being an ass right now, but we need you to pull yourself together. We need your help if we're going to get Amy and Adorei back."

The mage looked at him with anger. "I'm useless to anyone right now!" He growled low as he faced Shaw. "I was about to attack Ileeya! That's how much my desire for magic is right now." Shaw watched as he clenched and unclenched his hands. "They knew what they were doing," Kirlothenin said. "They used my fears against me." He looked at the ground and paced back and forth.

"So you're just going to let them win? You may as well give in to your addictions now." Shaw crossed his arms across his chest.

The mage stopped and glared at him. "I'm not giving up, Shaw. I just can't help you right now. I can't help anyone until I can gain control of this blasted addiction once more and only time will do that." He resumed his pacing. "It's all I can do just to keep myself in this room."

Shaw considered his words. But the SI:7 leader had his own resources of knowledge and he drew upon them now. "You know very well that there is a band aid fix to that, Kirlothenin. Or have you forgotten?"

Kirlothenin was silent for a few moments, but his shaking continued. He squeezed his eyes shut, supposedly in an attempt to concentrate. "There is. But how did you-"

"You're not the first elf mage I've come across with this problem and leave it at that. You know how to do it?"

Kirlothenin nodded. "Who? It can't be a magic user."

"What are you talking about?" Jelune looked from one to the other in confusion.

Shaw glanced at the night elf and frowned. From what he understood, Kirlothenin would need someone who was strong of will, which would describe just about any of their group. But only one person came to mind who would be the best option. "Jelune, can you please ask Baros Alexston to step in here. And stay there."

Jelune looked about to protest, but obeyed the SI:7 leader. A few minutes later, Baros stepped into the room and Shaw closed the door behind him. "Baros, once again you are needed."

The man gave Shaw a hard look. "What now, Mathias?"

"Kirlothenin here is struggling with his addiction to magic. He needs to displace that addiction." Shaw watched Baros' face as different emotions crossed it.

"I have little respect for people who can't control themselves," he muttered.

"What the fel do you think I'm trying to do!" Kirlothenin growled at him.

Shaw held up his hand to calm the two of them. "He _did_ have control of his addiction, Baros. The three forsaken who were in here messed with him and forced his addiction to re-emerge. I'm guessing it's stronger than it ever was." To this, Kirlothenin nodded. "Baros, we need his abilities, and I'm sure he wants to get his daughter back, just as you want Amy back. And in order to do that, Kirlothenin needs to temporarily mind-link with someone who is not a magic-user and who has a strong will."

Baros looked from one to the other as he took in what Shaw was saying. "What, exactly, will happen to me, and _if_ I agree, what would I be expected to do?"

Shaw let out a silent breath. Baros' stubbornness is just what Kirlothenin needed right now. But that same stubbornness could work against them if the man decided he didn't like the idea of being linked to Kirlothenin.

It was Kirlothenin who spoke up now. "I will mind-link with you and open up an empathic link as well. You will feel my addiction, and in return, I will make use of your ...stubborn will, to keep my addictive desires at bay."

"In other words, you'll be a leech," Baros growled.

"It's a temporary solution, Baros Alexston, with no harm to you. I assure you I would not want to keep the link for any longer than is needed. Mages avoid empathic links as much as possible." He looked at Baros. "There is something else you should know." Kirlothenin paused, choosing his words carefully. "The empathic link is not limited to just my addiction. All my emotions would be open to you. It is a two-way path. Yours will be open to me as well. I will avoid your personal emotions and thoughts as best I can. I ask you do the same with mine." The mage shut his eyes as he seemed to fight off something, perhaps a wave of addictive desires.

Baros glanced at Mathias, and the rogue knew the architect was considering his options. Shaw decided he'd better speak up. "This was my idea, Baros. I don't have time to get another team up here. We have to act fast or we may never find those kids. And we have more options afforded us with Kirlothenin on board."

Baros seemed to understand what was going on. At least, that was what Shaw guessed. "Can't Jelune or Adam, or even you do this, Shaw?"

Kirlothenin answered for the rogue. "You would be the better choice. The others cannot have the burden of my addiction with them. It would distract them as they fight. And, from what I've observed, yours is the stronger will."

Shaw added, "The only other one I can think of to do this is Kristie. And I don't think either of us want to add this to her burden right now after what she's been through."

"Yeah, about that-"

"We'll discuss that further after we've retrieved the children. And we're running out of time, Baros."

The architect slowly nodded his head. "Just promise me one thing, both of you." He paused, and Shaw wondered what he was going to ask. "Let me know when you get the bastard who killed Lord Aron."

Mathias was surprised at this. "I thought you didn't like him."

"I didn't. But the man risked his life for Kristie. I won't forget that. Now, what do I have to do?"


	20. Chapter 20

_Author's Note: Oops. I guess I messed up with the desire for druid magic in the last chapter. I think I fixed that with an explanation in the first few paragraphs in this chapter. If it's still unbelievable, I'll go back and edit both chapters to just have Kir ordering them out because he didn't want them to see him in his current state._

* * *

><p>Kirlothenin wanted to leave the room. He clenched and unclenched his hands as he tried hard to think beyond this desire to take in more magic. His heart felt as though it was going to pound right through his chest. He had barely noticed that Gavor had been in the room. Now that he was no longer locked in the mind-link, he could tell that he had been absorbing the more addictive fel-tainted magic of the warlock.<p>

He wiped the perspiration off his forehead as Mathias Shaw suggested moving to the architect's room to make him more comfortable. Kirlothenin nodded and moved towards the door immediately. He had to get this done fast. Anger mingled with his desires, making him irritable and impatient. As he stepped out of the room, he turned, wondering which room Ileeya and Dormir were in. He knew he was in trouble when he wanted to tap into any magic whether it was arcane in nature or not. The mage shook his head as Shaw firmly took his arm as though to make sure Kirlothenin didn't go off in search of a fix to his addiction.

Baros sat down in a chair and Kirlothenin had to pause as he fought back the desire to leave once more. Soon, the mage told himself. Soon, the desires will be displaced. A small voice in the back of his head seemed to whisper to him, telling him to forget the band aid fix. It told him to go find the real thing- that it was what he really wanted. Kirlothenin tried his best to ignore the voice. Under no circumstance could he allow himself to listen to that voice.

Another thought occurred to him. The last time he had mind-linked had been with Lara. And it was the mind-link that started his downfall into renewing his desires for the arcane. He set those thoughts aside. This was different. Baros was not a wielder of magic. The mage lifted his hand to start the mind-link when Baros stopped him. "Wait a second. Will I become addicted to this magic through this...mind-link...thing?"

Kirlothenin closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, his breath coming heavily through his nose. "No." He took a few more breaths as he forced his desires and anger down. "You'll feel the desire for something, but not know what it is, since your body doesn't know magic." He paced away from Baros, and noted Shaw standing in front of the door. A part of him was glad to have Shaw on his side in this. "The desire will go away when the link is broken."

He paced back to Baros. "Ready?" Kirlothenin wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on to his sanity.

"Yeah."

He put his hand to the man's temple and said the spell to connect their minds. "_There_," he mentally told Baros, "_I can communicate telepathically with you now_." He didn't wait for Baros to respond as he used all his effort to open the empathic link. As soon as it completed, he poured forth some his addiction desires into Baros. The human gasped at the shared feeling. Kirlothenin sensed Baros automatically asserting his will over the desires and he drew that will into his own self and finally was able to push those desires for the arcane down enough to think more clearly. His own body relaxed visibly. The shaking stopped.

Kirlothenin let out a slow breath as his heart calmed and the perspiration stopped. "Thank you, Baros. I owe you for this."

Shaw shook his head. "You're going to regret saying that," he mumbled.

A knock at the door interrupted whatever Baros was going to retort. Shaw turned, pulling out one of his short swords and opened the door slowly. After seeing who was on the other side, he opened the door wider. Lord Jorach Ravenholdt entered with Narine.

Shaw had an angry look on his face. "I warned you."

"And I had sent people to watch the forsaken. Mr. Grimmort had been talking to them. The men I sent had unfortunately assumed the others were inside the room the whole time. They have been reprimanded, I assure you." Lord Jorach didn't seem to be very happy, either. "I have every available agent searching for the children, Shaw. However, I very much doubt they are still here. The forsaken have disappeared."

Kirlothenin narrowed his eyes as he heard this news. "For your sake, Lord Ravenholdt, you had better hope they are returned to us safe and sound." He kept his voice calm, but laced it with steel.

Ravenholdt stared right back, unintimidated. "You forget, mage, that this was not my fight. I could have turned both groups out of my land instead of giving you the opportunity to be freed of those shackles." He didn't sound angry, but seemed adamant about his role in this. "As Baros and Shaw can tell you, I must put my guild first. I agreed to let you leave. I did not agree to provide you with extra protection. Doing so was an extra- a freebee, if you will. However, I am more determined to help you find your missing children, as they are the true innocents in this nasty business we are in."

As much as Kirlothenin wanted to disagree with him, he knew he couldn't. And a part of him had to acknowledge he was as much to blame as Ravenholdt. Had he not allowed Lara access to his mind, there would not have been an opportunity for the children to have been kidnapped.

"You may want your guild to remain neutral, Jorach, but some of your own seem to think otherwise. One of your men betrayed you. We have him secured in another room," said Mathias. "I'm headed there now to question him. When I'm done, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I need you to send a couple of your most trustworthy men to stand watch over Baros and his daughter while we plan and go after the forsaken and the children."

"You're expecting trouble for them?"

"Not really, but Baros is helping our friend here." Mathias nodded towards Kirlothenin. "It's important during this mission that he remains safe." Shaw glanced at Baros briefly as he spoke to Jorach. "At least two of your own have been bought by the forsaken. There may be more."

"Two?" Jorach was not pleased with this news. Although many rogues are out for themselves and willing to take jobs on the side, Jorach tended to look the other way as long as it didn't affect his guild negatively. And this was very negative to his guild.

Mathias kept his voice low, presumably to keep Baros from hearing the next words. Kirlothenin only heard them because he was standing next to Shaw. "Kristie was attacked by Stavron. He told her he was paid to do so." Lord Jorach clearly bristled at this news. " I've already taken care of him, myself." Mathias added. "I'll send her over here when Kirlothenin and I get back to the other room."

Jorach nodded. "I'll watch them myself. Narine here will help me."

Kirlothenin poured himself some water from a pitcher on the table. He then spied some parchment and a quill on a desk and had an idea. He quickly walked over to the desk and wrote something down on the parchment. Saying a simple spell, he lit the candle on the desk. Another spell muttered under his breath, and he held the letter over the candle's flame, letting it catch fire.

"What was that all about?" Mathias asked.

"Just preparing for the future," was all Kirlothenin said as he drank the water.

**...**

Ileeya shifted back to her elven form once she and her father got back to the hallway where the rest of their group was located. She could barely contain her emotions. Their search for Adorei and Amy was fruitless. There was no sign of them or the forsaken. It was obvious that the rest of the Assassin's League guild was looking for them as well. Dormir insisted on returning to the others and suggested that they were probably already planning something.

As they rounded the corner, they saw Shaw and Kirlothenin emerge from Baros' room. She paused as they locked eyes, unsure if she should approach. He had pushed her away from him earlier, and it had hurt. A part of her understood he was struggling with something, but she had only wanted to help.

Kirlothenin motioned for her to approach and she did so, slowly. She reached out to touch him, and he winced, stepping back. "My addiction is displaced for the moment. But I dare not tempt it, Ileeya. Do not touch me. Even though yours is not arcane magic, my desires have been magnified. It would be too easy to try and tap you." She saw regret in his eyes. How did this happen? How could they have reactivated his addiction to magic? And why did he allow it?

Mathias Shaw spoke up. "The sooner we join the others, the sooner we can start planning how to get those kids back."

**…**

Kristie held her arms close to her as she watched Adam pace back and forth. She knew he was upset with her for not telling him what had happened to her, but she also knew it would only make him even more upset. He didn't need that right now. All she let him know was that she was attacked and that Shaw had helped her. She'll fill in the details later when everyone was safe back home.

Once again, she turned her thoughts to Amy. Where was she? Was she scared? Kristie remembered Jerold's interest in Amy and shivered. She silently told Amy to hold on. The child had to know they would rescue her.

Shaw, Kirlothenin, Ileeya, and Dormir entered the room. Kristie looked at them expectantly, hoping they had found Amy and Adorei. But it was clear from the looks on their faces that her hope was unfounded. Adam's arms reached around her and she felt her eyes burn as she leaned back against him. Hope wasn't all lost. If anyone could find the children, SI:7 could. And the agency's leader is here along with two of its best agents in her opinion.

"Adam, please escort Kristie to Baros' room. Ms. Whitestar, go with them and heal Kristie's injuries, please. Stay there until we call for you." Shaw was all business, his eyes on the captured rogue.

Kristie knew he was getting ready to interrogate the blood elf. She felt conflicted. She wanted to be there when they found out where Amy and Adorei were. "Mathias, I want-" The look on his face stopped her cold. She realized it wasn't a request, it was an order. A part of her was incensed. She wasn't one of his agents to order around! But she also quickly reasoned that it was because of the very fact she wasn't an agent that she was to leave the room.

However, there was another reason to go to her father's room as Mathias told her, "Your father needs your support right now. Go." Adam pulled on her arm and she allowed herself to be taken out of the room.

However, in the hallway, she stopped, looking at Ileeya. "Could you heal me here? I don't want to worry my dad." The druid nodded and said her healing spells. The cuts on her face and neck disappeared, but the bruising was still there along with the aches. She reached up to feel the short bits of hair sticking out of her head. A half an inch over and Stavron would have scalped her. Kristie closed her eyes and tried to push back the thought of what could have happened had Shaw not arrived.

When they entered her father's room, she paused as she observed her dad pacing back and forth, perspiration on his forehead, his hands clenching and unclenching. Lord Jorach Ravenholdt was standing there along with a female dwarf. "Dad? What's wrong?"

"You didn't say it would be this strong, elf!" He didn't seem to see her or hear her.

Kristie glanced at Ravenholdt who only shrugged and said, "He's been like this since I got here." She detected a slight look of concern on his face.

"Aren't you gonna answer me?" Baros stopped his pacing and looked towards the door. Kristie glanced at Ileeya and the two approached her dad who finally seemed to notice them. He muttered a curse and said, "Mage talks to me in my head, but doesn't tell me how to talk back!"

"A mind-link?" Ileeya asked.

At Baros' nod, Ileeya said, "Think the words to him as if you were talking to him, but don't use your voice."

**…**

Kirlothenin forced his attention from thoughts of Ileeya to the situation at hand. Mathias had just finished telling him and Dormir what he expected of them during the interrogation, which wasn't much. He took another sip of water from his glass and almost spit it out as Baros' voice invaded his head.

"_Hello? Mage? Can you hear me now?_"

"_What do you need, Mr. Alexston?_"

"_Fine mage you are! Telling me we can talk ...Talk? ...Think? This way and not tell me how to do it! I was looking like an idiot talking to myself in front of Jorach and the dwarf._"

Kirlothenin had to quickly curb his rebuttal to this.

"Wake him," Mathias told Maggie. She approached the traitorous rogue, Sornor, and lightly tapped his cheek with her palm. "Wake up, sleepy head. Come on, I didn't hit you that hard."

"_We are starting the interrogation now, Mr. Alexston. Please refrain from conversing with me unless it is important_."

"_Eh? Interrogation?_" A moment later, he heard, "_What the fel is a shimmering wyrmling?_"

Kirlothenin bristled at this. "_Mr. Alexston, I asked you to stay out of my personal thoughts_."

"_Well, then stop thinking of it! It's all I seem to be able to think about. Does it have something to do with this addiction?_"

The mage had to pause as the blood elf rogue came around. The rogue looked at where he was and who was in the room with him. His facial expression told them he knew he was in trouble. Kirlothenin kept his face masked as he realized Baros was right. He did seem to be thinking more and more about the wyrmlings that were made of ninety percent magical energies. "_I will try to stop thinking of it._"

Shaw nodded at Maggie to start the interrogation. Maggie grinned, and her green eyes flashed. Kirlothenin didn't know the woman very well, but he got the impression that the human was going to enjoy the interrogation.

"Okay, pretty boy." Maggie smiled at him. "Let's make this as painless as possible. We know the forsaken hired you." She drew out her dagger, but did nothing with it, yet. "Who else did they hire from Ravenholdt, and where are the children?"

Sornor gave her a smirk. "I have no idea. Maybe they ran off somewhere. It was stupid to bring the brats to an assassin's guild in the first place."

"We didn't have any choice." Kirlothenin's voice was flat as he stared hard at the elf. A wave of concern quickly fell over him and Kirlothenin had to pause as he realized it was concern for Amy. "_Mr. Alexston, please control your emotions! Your concern for the child is seeping into me._" He threw Shaw a glance. This architect may have a strong will, but his mind is undisciplined.

"_Hrumph! Maybe it'll hurry you up and get her back here!_"

Sornor grinned slyly at the mage's facial expression, misinterpreting it. "What's the matter, mage? Longing for something, maybe?"

Kirlothenin kept himself in check as he answered, "Yes, as a matter of fact. I long to have my daughter back in my arms ...now." He then switched his thoughts to Baros. "_Mr. Alexston, please ask Ileeya to __show you how to meditate! Discipline your mind!_"

"I can't help with that," Sornor said, looking away. "As I said, they probably ran off to play hide and seek or something."

Mathias looked hard at the rogue. "It seems to me that you're the one who is playing games."

Maggie grinned at this, but her eyes were hard as stone. "I'll tell you a little secret, Sornor." She stepped closer to the rogue. "When I play games, I cheat."

Kirlothenin saw Sornor's face pale as he heard Baros' thoughts in his head say, "_How am I supposed to sit still when all I'm doing is shaking?_" He tuned the architect out and glanced downward at where Maggie's dagger was pressed. What is it with women and threatening a man's anatomy to get answers?

"Look, I was just told to keep you guys in your rooms so no one would interrupt whatever was going on in one of them." Sornor glanced in Kirlothenin's direction. The mage glared back at him. "And, as you can see, he's fine. So if you'll just let me go-"

He started to moved, but froze when Maggie pressed harder with the dagger. "You know more than that. You knew just who they were after in the room, and what was happening to him. You know what they did with the kids. Tell us."

Sornor remained silent. Mathias Shaw stepped forward now, looking the elf in the eyes. "I have to admit, you've got guts." The SI:7 leader stopped just inches from the blood elf. "Either that, or you're really, really stupid. I tend to think the latter." Shaw ignored the elf's glare. "You're willing to risk your family jewels? Fine. After Maggie here is done with you, you'll have the leader of Stormwind's Assassins to answer to. If that isn't enough, I'm sure Kirlothenin here will have no problem forcing entry into your head and retrieving the information we want- most likely doing some brain damage along the way. Mind you, if you think you have a stronger will than him, think what he just went through and look at him. Does he look like someone who's given in to his addictions?"

Shaw paused to let the elf look at Kirlothenin. The mage gave Sornor a confident smirk. Of course, with his current connection and empathic link to Baros, he couldn't possibly link to Sornor. But the rogue didn't need to know that.

"And, then after going through all that," Shaw continued, "We'll be handing you over to Ravenholdt himself to let him pass judgment on you for betraying him and your guild." Kirlothenin didn't think the blood elf could look any paler. "Of course," Shaw said, "if you just answer our questions, we'll help you out." He paused for dramatic effect. "We'll let you get a head start out of here before we tell Lord Jorach what you did."

Sornor swallowed as perspiration dotted his forehead. "I- I don't know where they are going to take the kids, I swear. But-" He tried to back up as Maggie made a movement with her dagger. Sornor's voice was a little higher than usual when he spoke again. "I was supposed to meet them at Tarren Mill afterwards for the rest of my payment. The forsaken rogue, Mason, took the baby. And a troll rogue, Zolvorn, nabbed the other kid when everyone went into the mage's room." Sornor pointed at Kirlothenin. "He was supposed to be a Wretched by then and no one would have noticed, because they would be fighting him."

The mage kept his voice quiet, but full of ice. "They underestimated me- A dangerous thing to do."

"What are they going to do with the children?" Shaw backed off one step.

"Something about an auction..."

Kirlothenin closed his eyes and fought the urge to sit down. An auction. What goes around, comes around. Regret filled him as he recalled taking Ileeya to Booty Bay to be auctioned off. Mathias Shaw stepped back with a nod to Maggie who removed her dagger and sheathed it. Sornor looked from one to the other with uncertainty as Shaw waved towards the door. "Your head start begins now."

The blood elf hesitated, then burst forward past all of them, disappearing out of the room. Shaw looked Kirlothenin in the eyes. One minute passed before he spoke again. "Okay. Tell Baros to let Jorach know. One minute is all the head start he deserves."

Kirlothenin realized he hadn't heard from Baros in awhile. He reached out with his mind, searching for Baros' thoughts and was suddenly inundated with images of drawings and buildings. The architect was mentally muttering to himself as he made mental notes about this or that concerning the Ravenholdt Manor. "_Mr. Alexston?_"

"_Hm?_" The images and muttering continued and Kirlothenin had to retract his earlier opinion about the man's mental discipline. Apparently when it came to work, he was very focused.

"_Mr. Alexston. What are you doing?"_

"_Huh? Doing?_" There was some more muttering about dimensions and measurements. "_Oh, I'm working. I can't do that meditation stuff. Kristie told me to get to work. It helps get my mind off this damn addiction of yours. What do you want?_"

"_Please let Lord Ravenholdt know that Sornor was released and if he wants to talk to the man, he'd better send someone after him._"

A few expletives streamed into his head followed by, "_First I'm leech food, and now I'm a messenger boy!_" A moment later, as though an afterthought, or perhaps not really meant to be heard, Kirlothenin could hear, "_Huh, this mind-link thing could be useful after all._" The mage covered his face with his palm.


	21. Chapter 21

Amy decided she never wanted to attend another Lunar Festival again. It was supposed to have been the best time of her life. Instead, she was alone in a locked room, looking after an elven baby. How she got here, she wasn't sure. Jelune had cried out and everyone had gone to see what was wrong. Amy had stayed behind in the room, figuring the adults could handle whatever the problem was and she would be safer there.

The door had remained open and she had heard voices coming in from the hallway. That was about all she remembered before waking up here in this strange room with Adorei. By the smell of the place, she feared she was once more a captive of the undead, though she hadn't seen anyone yet.

Amy checked the door, but wasn't surprised to find it locked. As she turned to check the window, Adorei began to cry on the bed. Amy didn't know much about taking care of babies. All she knew was when they cried to check the diaper, feed it, or burp it. The diaper was wet. She glanced around but found no diapers. The windows had some tattered curtains and Amy found them easy to rip. She did so and made a make-shift diaper. Now, how to put it on.

Ten minutes later, she had the cloth secured around the infant's bottom as best she could. She then picked the infant up and held it like she was taught in order to try to burp her, patting her on the back. The infant was still not happy. She sighed in frustration at having to hear Adorei's cries. She wished Ileeya was here. The night elf would know how to make the baby stop crying.

The door opened and Amy backed up all the way to the opposite wall. It was Jerold. Amy had to look away, repulsed by the dead skin, and eery yellow eyes. She had been scared when she had been in the cell. But at least she had Kristie and Jelune to hold on to. Now, she had no one ...and she was terrified.

The forsaken stood there watching them for a minute before speaking. "You're smothering the infant."

Amy blinked and looked down to see how tightly she had been holding Adorei and forced herself to loosen her hold. She looked up at Jerold in confusion.

"She's worth more alive than dead." He set something down on a table and Amy recognized a make-shift baby bottle. "The infant is hungry. Feed her."

Amy didn't move. She didn't trust him.

"It's cow's milk. Untainted. As I said, she's worth more to me alive."

The child shook her head. "You poisoned Adam's dad!"

Jerold looked unperturbed. "He agreed to it. And had he not escaped, he would have gotten the antidote. I was teaching him a lesson. Now, feed the infant or I will take it from you and do it myself."

She didn't want to go anywhere near him. "Leave us alone!"

He leaned back against the door. "You may as well get used to me, child."

She wanted to ignore him. No, she wanted to get out of there and go home. But she couldn't do either. Adorei continued her crying and Amy knew she had to be hungry. Tentatively, she moved forward, keeping her eyes on Jerold. As soon as she was close enough, she slowly reached out and picked up the bottle, then quickly retreated back to the other side of the room.

Amy didn't like Jerold watching her with those unblinking yellow orbs. She tried not to think about it as she opened up the bottle and looked at its contents. It looked like milk. She smelled it. It smelled like milk. She then tasted it. It must have been freshly milked from a cow as it was still a little warm. She put the lid back on and glanced at Jerold. He had said he needed Adorei alive. Amy wished she were older so that she would know what to do.

"Give her the milk," Jerold ordered her.

She was getting tired of the crying and hoped the milk was okay. She gave the bottle to the infant, but Adorei refused it. Gnawing on her lower lip, Amy got an idea. She put a couple of drops of milk on her pinky finger and then put her finger in Adorei's mouth. The baby continued to cry for a few seconds until she tasted the milk. At that point, she began to suck on the finger hard as if trying to get more milk. Amy tried the bottle again. Adorei refused. Again, she put a few drops on her finger and Adorei took it. This time, she quickly withdrew her finger and put the bottle in Adorei's mouth who finally accepted it.

Amy felt herself relax for a moment now that the crying had stopped. She even smiled down at the infant.

"That's what I wanted to see."

Amy stiffened again as she threw a cautious glance in Jerold's direction, her smile fading. "What?"

"Your smile. Your laugh. You playing, skipping." Jerold moved closer to Amy who found she could no longer back up because of the wall. Instead, she moved sidewards. He matched her movement and her heart started to pound once again. She didn't understand what he was talking about. She stopped when she reached the other wall. She had now backed herself into a corner.

Jerold moved closer and reached out his hand, touching her hair. Amy whimpered as he spoke again. "You are life, child. I want to know what makes you so ….alive."

Amy turned her head away from him, trying to avoid his touch. She somehow found her voice. "I'm alive because I breathe."

"That's not what I mean." His gravelly voice sounded annoyed. "When I observed you before, you were smiling, skipping, laughing. You were _alive_, not just living. You are the opposite of what I am." His hand once more reached out and touched her cheek. His hand was cold and she recoiled at his touch, a tear escaping her eyes.

His hand moved away as he silently stared at her. "Forget your fear, Amy. And then you can play again. You can be happy and I can observe."

She shook her head. "No. I'll never be happy again until I'm back home with Miss Kristie and Adam."

This seemed to set him off and he turned around, walking to the middle of the room. "What are they to you? They are not your parents."

"They want to adopt me. They want to be my parents. That's what makes me happy. A family." She was relieved that he had moved away from her. "Return me to them and I'll be happy."

"No."

Amy felt the hot tears fall down her face. "Then I'll never be happy again."

He turned around and faced her once more. "I'll make you forget them. Once the infant is gone, I'll have Lara block your memories of them and you'll forget them. Then you'll be happy for me."

She shook her head violently. "No! No. No. No! Please don't make me forget them! I'll do anything!" She fell to her knees. Setting Adorei on the floor next to her, she clasped her hands to beg. The infant began to fuss again. "I'm begging you, please don't make me forget Kristie and Adam! They're the only ones who've ever loved me apart from my daddy and he died!" Tears streamed down her face. "They are my happiness and if you make me forget them, I'll have no reason to smile! If I have at least the memory of them, then maybe I can try to be happy for you." She sniffled and fell forward, her hands covering her face. She felt her hair fall on either side of her face.

There was a knock at the door and Lara stepped in. "Apothecary Lydon and the others are here. He says he wants to see the baby before the auction starts." Her voice was a little loud in order to be heard over Adorei's crying and she eyed Amy with disdain.

Jerold was silent for a few minutes as he stared at Amy. "Take the infant and her bottle." He paused as Lara picked the infant up. Amy tried to grab Adorei away from her, but was no match for the adult. Jerold spoke to Lara again when she got to the door. "After this auction is over, I have another job for you." The two turned and left the room.

Amy threw herself on the bed as a torrent of emotions flooded through her. After awhile, she calmed down and tried to clear her head. She had to get out of there. Amy got up and checked the window. She couldn't open it. Could she break it? She looked around the room and tried to pick up the heavy chair. She couldn't lift it to break the window. Oh how she wished she had a rock! She gasped as she realized that she _did_ have a rock!

**…**

"The one we'll have to watch out for is High Warlord Cromush. He's a seasoned veteran and is probably the best fighter there, not to mention his keen prowess at organizing his troops. Melisara is another concern. She's a banshee. If she lets loose with one of her screams, it'll stun all of us. Hopefully, we'll not have to worry about them at all if we can get in there and out with the children without alerting them."

Mathias Shaw stood over a table with a make-shift map of Tarren Mill drawn on it. Adam, Maggie, Dormir, Ileeya, Jelune, and Kirlothenin were gathered around him. "Remember, we're not completely sure they are even there. And if they are, we have to find out where. Maggie and I will scout the place out and see if we can find them. Once found, we'll form two teams." He continued telling them the details of his plan for the next ten minutes when Adam interrupted him with a gasp.

He pulled something out of his pocket and looked at it with a grin. "Shaw, we don't have to guess where they are. We know." He slammed his hand on the table and then lifted it. There, on the table where his hand had just been was a stone that was glowing green. Shaw recognized it from their venture into Tanaris.

"Great. She just made our jobs easier." He paused as he saw Kirlothenin grimace. "You okay?"

"Apparently, Miss Alexston's stone is glowing as well. Baros just let me know."

Shaw had a feeling he was going to have to apologize later to Kirlothenin for sticking him with Baros. He pushed that thought back to focus on the task at hand. "Okay, split into teams. We leave in two minutes."

He watched Adam leave the room and he stepped into the hall to see Adam stop at Baros' room. Shaw looked away when Kristie came out and the two kissed. For a moment, he made eye contact with Maggie's bright green eyes and he considered kissing her just as Adam had kissed Kristie. But he couldn't allow himself that luxury. Theirs was a complicated relationship. Instead he gave her a slight nod, knowing she would understand.

The moment passed and Adam returned. The team took off for Tarren Mill.

**…**

Jerold no longer cared about how much gold he could get from the sale of the half-breed infant. He wanted to get back to the human child. That smile almost made him forget about the auction. He didn't know why he was obsessed. He supposed the child was no different than any other child. He could use any child for his experiments. But this one was the one that gave him the thought, the idea to search further into this topic. Children, this one included, were the opposite of what he was. They, better than anyone, especially most adults, knew how to live ...to be alive.

Deep down inside, even though he had no idea who he was in life, he wanted to touch that part of him that was once alive. This has been his obsession ever since he could remember. Gavor knew of it. Lara would too, if Gavor had told her. Otherwise, he told no one. He learned early on that most of the forsaken did not care about the spark of life. They merely let themselves be embittered about their lot in unlife and the curse they must endure.

Now Jerold allowed himself to wonder; Could the cure for undeath be found in a living child? Could that essence that makes her seem so alive be captured?

"Yes. This is a very rare specimen, indeed." Apothecary Lydon's voice drew Jerold's attention back to the present. Lydon poked at the infant which made it cry. "A blood elf mage and a night elf druid, you said?" Jerold nodded. "It would be interesting to see which magic she becomes adept at. She also seems to bear no trace of the fel magic her father had absorbed into himself."

He put Adorei down. "Still, there is the drawback of having to care for it until it is old enough to withstand some of the tests we would put it through."

Lara surreptitiously jabbed at Jerold and he realized he'd been thinking of Amy again. He quickly responded to Lydon's comment. "A drawback it may be, but look at it this way, you get to observe it growing, learning. You get to shape it into what you want, then do with it as you please once it can start your testing."

Lydon stepped away to stand with the other apothecaries who had come with interest in buying the infant. As they readied themselves to start the biding, Jerold turned to Lara and spoke quietly. "That job I asked of you earlier... " he started, reminding her of their earlier conversation. "I want you to erase or block that child's memory of the one's called Kristie and Adam. I need her to be loyal only to me and forget them."

Lara gave him a side-long glance. "Why? I don't know what you see in that kid."

"I ...want to test a theory."

"What theory?" she challenged.

"You don't need to know that."

"Tell me or I won't do as you ask, Jerold."

He sighed. "The child is full of life. I wish to observe her, just what makes her so ...alive."

Lara hissed in disgust. "Who cares about life! It's not what we are anymore! The closest I come to feeling alive is when I make those who are alive feel miserable. If we must suffer this curse, then we may as well make those who don't suffer just as much as we do!"

"I do enjoy those things as well, my dear, as you well know. But I'm focused on this child right now. Perhaps once I get her out of my system, I'll return to making everyone else as unhappy as we are." Jerold was tired of this conversation and turned to start the auction.

**…**

Shaw sat as far away from the apothecaries as possible. The potion of illusion that he had taken made him look like the undead that surrounded him. However, he had not stopped there when it came to his disguise. Before taking the potion, he had paused by the river that ran between Tarren Mill and the mountainside that Ravenholdt's Manor was located. There, he had rubbed mud over his skin, masking his body's warmth. He had also stolen some of the ragged clothes from a corpse he had killed earlier. This masked his scent as well. The forsaken were known to have dulled senses, but he wasn't going to take the chance.

Once he was sufficiently disguised, he had wandered into Tarren Mill hunching himself over as they do. He then just had to mention in orcish that he was an apothecary and he was ushered into a building where other apothecaries waited. Mathias eyed Apothecary Lydon. He was the one to watch out for in this room, along with Jerold, Gavor, and Lara.

By now, the others should be in place. Adam, Maggie and Dormir were to go after Amy. He, Ileeya, Kirlothenin, and Jelune were after Adorei. Kirlothenin was inside the room somewhere in his invisible state. Jelune should be outside in his camouflaged state along with Ileeya, prowling in her cat form.

Jerold had been talking to Lara when he suddenly turned and held up his hands to get everyone's attention. He spoke in the guttural language of the forsaken. This was the tricky part. The forsaken's language was very difficult for living beings to understand. Shaw knew a number of languages, but this was one he had been unable to understand. He watched and listened to the others, trying to mimic them as best he could. Shaw guessed the auction was about to start.

Jerold looked at each forsaken in the room and asked a question. He didn't move on until each one answered. Mathias began to get nervous now. He didn't know what the question was, nor what to answer. When Jerold looked at him and asked his question, Shaw grunted and motioned to his mouth, hoping to indicate that he had no tongue, as he'd heard happen to some forsaken.

The undead man asked him again, this time nodding his head up and down and then side to side. Shaw understood he was to answer yes or no. The two dreadguards who were standing at the door stepped closer to him now and Mathias knew he was about to be discovered as an intruder. Jerold spoke in common. "Whichever one you are, it was foolish to come here. Did you really think you could pull the same trick twice with me? Have I not proven, yet, that I am smarter than you?"

Shaw smiled at the forsaken's over-confidence. "Smart? Maybe. Smarter?" He merely shook his head, then quickly pulled out his special throwing knives. Spinning in a fast circle, he threw the knives out, keeping careful to not throw in the direction where Adorei was lying in a basket. One of the apothecaries was instantly killed, and two others were injured.

Apothecary Lydon pulled out a small vial and threw it at Shaw. The human's illusion disappeared as he blocked the vial with his short sword, shattering the glass. The contents splattered onto the sword and some on his gloved hand. Shaw had to turn and block a thrust from one of the dreadguards. He used his other sword to slash across the guard's midsection.

A noise behind him alerted Shaw to the second guard behind him. A swift motion and Shaw jabbed his sword backwards without looking, feeling it make contact. More dreadguards were alerted and Lydon began pulling out more vials. Shaw barely had time to see Gavor pick up Adorei and disappear. But he was surrounded and couldn't go after the warlock. And where was Jerold?

Mathias didn't have time to wonder as he was attacked. Lifting his sword to block a blow, he had to quickly duck instead as the vial that had broken against his sword had eaten its way through the metal, creating a hole in the blade. It was about ready to break in half. Undeterred, he kicked his leg out, hitting the guard in the knee. A flash of cold and all those surrounding him were trapped in ice at their feet. A blizzard of ice shards began to rain down on them and Shaw used the distraction to leave the circle. He found Kirlothenin near the doorway, who cast a cone of cold air in their direction, freezing their muscles and slowing them down. With their adversaries sufficiently slowed, the two made their escape from the room just as a cry of alarm warned everyone that there were intruders in Tarren Mill.

**...**

Lara had left the auction as soon as Jerold had turned to start the proceedings. She was not happy with his obsession with the child. It seemed to distract him from his usual diabolical plans. This search for life ….it was just wrong. She firmly believed their curse of undeath was incurable. And she frankly didn't care to live again.

There was a simple solution to Jerold's obsession. End it. Lara made her way to the child's room. She would open the door and let the child escape, but in the process, kill her. If Jerold questioned her, she would say that she tried to stop the child from escaping. However, when she got upstairs to the child's room, she saw that Zolvorn was not there guarding the door.

Lara frowned and approached cautiously. The door was unlocked. She turned herself invisible and opened the door slowly. The room was empty and Zolvorn lay unconscious on the floor. She didn't bother to see if he was alive or not. She didn't care. What she did care about was where the child was, and more importantly, who had come for her. She had no time to figure it out as a cry of alarm warned of intruders to Tarren Mill.

**…**

Jelune saw the demonic circle outside the building. He knew it belonged to a warlock, and almost hoped it was Gavor's. For this reason, he stayed near it. He knew Ileeya was nearby, though unsure of exactly where she was. He reflected on how much she had grown in her druidic skills. Pretty soon, she would no longer need his protection, especially with Kirlothenin around. Adorei, on the other hand, would need all the protection she could get.

He sighed inwardly and let his thoughts wander to Tamlia. His girlfriend must be wondering where he was by now. The two had met when she had been assigned to help Ileeya during her pregnancy. His respect for her grew the longer the night elf had stayed with them. After Adorei had been born, she returned to the temple and Jelune had sought her out.

A flash of green light brought him quickly back to the present. Gavor had suddenly appeared holding something and Jelune realized it was Adorei! Jelune wished he had his traps with him. He couldn't risk shooting Adorei, but he had another idea. He was still camouflaged so Gavor wouldn't see him until it was too late. Jelune silently approached the warlock who had begun to move in another direction. Swiftly, he grabbed Adorei out of the forsaken's arms. This canceled his camouflage ability and the surprised warlock could see him.

Jelune whistled for his turtle to attack the warlock, who now recognized the elf who had shot him earlier. The night elf jumped backwards, disengaging himself from the warlock. He turned around to run out of the town, knowing that getting Adorei to safety was top priority. The dreadguard he nearly ran into, however, had other ideas.

Another dreadguard joined the first and Jelune heard a cackle behind him from the warlock. He turned to see the warlock summon a doomguard. The large winged demon looked annoyed at being called by Gavor, but the warlock had the means to control it. "Kill the night elf. Bring me the infant unharmed."

Snappers, his pet turtle came in and attacked the warlock who had to divert his attention to the animal. Jelune could no longer keep track of his pet as he had to avoid the demon. He was at a disadvantage, having to hold on to Adorei. He couldn't shoot his bow. A movement was heard behind him and he dodged a sword from one of the dreadguards just in time.

He called his pet to him again as he avoided the attacks of the doomguard. He was not skilled in melee combat and he knew it was only a matter of time before they got him. He hadn't wanted to let them know of another with him, nor had he wanted to involve his sister, but he had no choice. "Ileeya!" he shouted.

"Yes, elf. Call the mother. Apothecary Lydon did say he'd be interested in purchasing the infant's parents as well." He cackled evilly, clearly enjoying the fight. "You, however, he would have no interest in. Hand over the infant now, and maybe I'll kill you."

Jelune dodged another thrust from the dreadguard's sword and backed up another step as the warlock continued in his self-confident manner. "Otherwise, I'll make sure you're not killed and once you are properly restrained, I'll hand you over to Jerold for more...testing." Jelune couldn't help but pale at the memory of being on Jerold's table, restrained and unable to stop the forsaken's injections. The pain that followed had been excruciating. A fear gripped him that made him hesitate. That was all the time the demon needed to grab him, raking his talon's down the hunter's back.

He cried out in pain and fell to one knee, crouching his body over his niece in a last effort to protect her. "It seems you are too late to make a choice. I think Jerold will be happy to have his test subject back." The warlock approached him and pulled an arrow from out of the hunter's quiver. "But, I'm afraid he'll just have to wait until you heal." He jammed the arrow into Jelune's shoulder who cried out in pain and in a vicious voice said at the hunter's long ear, "That's for shooting me!" He then reached for Adorei once more as the cry of alarm warned of intruders in Tarren Mill.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note: Sorry about the cliffhanger, but the chapter would be twice as long if I didn't cut it off here.<em>


	22. Chapter 22

"Keep going, Amy!" Adam urged her on as he heard the intruder alarm sound. He didn't bother looking behind him as he knew Maggie and Dormir would watch their backs. It wasn't too much farther to the rendezvous spot. Shaw hadn't wanted to meet up anywhere between Tarren Mill and Ravenholdt Manor. And the closer they were to the Stormpike Clan and the headquarters for the Alterac Valley skirmishes, the better- despite the extra danger it posed.

He had followed the locater stone's directions to the building Amy was in. After that, it had been as simple as sneaking in, taking out the troll and entering the room. When Adam had seen Amy lying on the bed unharmed, he had been relieved. He had even felt his eyes sting from emotion as he called out her name. The child had sat up with a gasp and had run to him saying that she had known he would come.

He had wanted to hold the hug longer, but had also known that time was of the essence. He had told her that she was a brave girl and that she had to do what he told her if they were to be safe. From there, he had given her an invisibility potion, provided by Ravenholdt before the team had left, and they had quickly made their way out of the town. The plan had gone off without a hitch.

Amy was tired and he allowed them to pause behind a tree to catch their breath. As she gulped in a lungful of air, he glanced back towards the town in the distance. He hadn't noticed anyone following them, but that didn't mean they were out of danger, yet. How was the other team doing?

**…**

Ileeya pounced on Gavor, just before he had been able to take Adorei from Jelune, coming out of her prowling state as she did so. Her claws raked through his back as the surprised forsaken fell down beneath her. Transforming out of her cat form, she called for roots to secure the doomguard, then took Adorei from Jelune. Snappers was keeping the two dreadguards at bay for now and she quickly cast a healing spell on her brother as she pulled the arrow out.

"Why do I get a sense of deja vu here, Sis?" he said as he fired an arrow into Gavor's chest to finish him off. He saw the light in the warlock's eyes fade out.

She couldn't help but think of the time they were picking herbs and were attacked by the Horde scavenging party. He had been hit by a throwing knife that time. "This time it's different, Brother. This time we're better prepared."

More dreadguards approached the area, followed by High Warlord Cromush. Ileeya felt her blood drain from her face. Shaw had warned them of him. He looked as dangerous as he had been described. She knew they were no match for the seasoned veteran.

Cromush saw them and ordered the dreadguards to surround the siblings. Ileeya thought they were done for, but she set Adorei on the ground and transformed into her bear form. Intent on protecting her daughter, she stood over the infant and let out a menacing growl. Jelune had notched his bow, ready to fire a volley at the approaching guards. Snappers let out a cry as one of the guards was able to get his sword under the shell and kill it.

Kirlothenin suddenly appeared between the approaching warlord with his dreadguards and the siblings. Jelune grinned as he continued the earlier conversation. "And we have him on our side this time."

Cromush stopped as he spied the blood elf. "Out of the way, elf! I will not allow the intruders to escape!"

Kirlothenin's voice was strong and confident. "You may not allow it, but it will happen. They are after their stolen family, that is all."

Cromush's eyes narrowed. "Who are you, and what have you to do with this?"

"I am Kirlothenin Dawnwhisper, Battle Mage of the Kirin Tor and the Scryers. They are my family."

"Your what?" The warlord roared in anger. "They have attacked this town and I will defend it, Battle Mage! If you are as you claim, then I order you to stand down or face charges of treason!"

Kirlothenin shook his head and spoke with vengeance. "Did you hear me claim any allegiance to the Horde? No. I do not follow your orders, Cromush. My allegiance lies with my family, and I will protect them to the death!" Ileeya heard the resolution in Kirlothenin's voice and tears formed in her large brown, bear eyes. She knew he would do as he said. She also realized from his declarations just now, that he would no longer be welcome in any Horde territory. He would never see his Silvermoon City again.

"So be it, Kirlothenin Dawnwhisper. You are no longer welcome in any Horde territory!" The warlord lifted his axe in preparation to charge towards the mage, but was stopped at the appearance of a human rogue next to Kirlothenin.

"He may not be welcome in your territory, but he'll be welcome in mine, Cromush."

The warrior orc was more cautious now as he looked at what the rogue held in his hands. "Mathias Shaw," he said with venom. "I thought I eradicated all your kind from the foothills nearly a year ago."

Mathias' voice was a low growl as he responded. "You may have landed a devastating blow, but it was not enough to clear my agents, nor Stormpike's Clan from the area." He held up one of his hands that had some sort of device in it. "Recognize this?"

Ileeya didn't recognize it, but Jelune did. "A goblin pocket-nuke," he said quietly. It seemed Cromush had recognized it as well. The orc's brown skin turned a bit paler.

"I've set a number of these around Tarren Mill, just as you had set them on Sofera's Naze and the other four fingers of the foothills last year. But I'm going to give you a choice. Leave us alone. Let us leave unharmed. And I'll give you ten minutes to evacuate before I blow the place up! A choice you did not give my men!" he added with a growl. "If you refuse, I'll blow it up now." He held up his other hand which held a triggering device.

Ileeya didn't like this. If he blew the place up while they were still there, wouldn't it kill the humans and elves as well? Apparently, Cromush thought the same thing. He grinned maliciously and said, "I call your bluff, Shaw. You'd only kill yourself and those you protect in the process."

Mathias gave a soft laugh that made Ileeya shiver, even in her bear form. The man could sound very dangerous when he wanted. "Do you really think I'd be as stupid as that? Why do you think our friend here appeared when he didn't have to? While he was busy keeping you lot chatting away, I set the explosives in just the right places where they'll do much damage to the buildings and those in them, with very little damage to us here."

Cromush looked from Shaw to Kirlothenin and back again, with uncertainty on his face. Shaw's back was to Ileeya so she couldn't see his face, but Kirlothenin was standing sideways so as to keep an eye on Cromush and Ileeya. She could see the self-confident smirk he wore when he knew he winning. Still, the orc wasn't going to give up so easily. "You didn't have time to plant that many explosives. The conversation wasn't that long."

"Do you really think I'm working alone? Not only is the Stormpike Clan involved, but some others who you might be familiar with. I have many Alliance races working for me, Cromush; including Gilnean rogues."

As if on cue, a worgen's howl could be heard above them. Ileeya looked up to see the man-beast crouching on the roof of one of the buildings. "The worgen are more than willing to help decimate this place." Shaw continued.

The orc looked angry, but suddenly smiled with a knowing look. "Melisara! How about a song for-"

Kirlothenin cleared his throat and gave a small point to where the banshee was. When Cromush looked, he saw her standing in a circle, encased in ice. She was unable to let out her piercing banshee cry. "Ten minutes isn't a long time, Cromush," Kirlothenin said. "I'd suggest evacuating now."

With a loud roar of frustration, the warlord gave the order to evacuate Tarren Mill. Ileeya transformed into her elven form and picked Adorei up as Shaw and Kirlothenin backed up to them. "Let's get out of here!" Shaw said.

**…**

Maggie appeared in front of Adam. "All clear so far. Dormir is still keeping an eye out for the others."

Adam nodded his head. "Do you know Shaw's plans should they get caught? I can only guess the alarm we heard earlier was them being discovered."

Maggie shook her head. "All I know is that he always has something up his sleeve." She saw the worry in his eyes. "Trust him. He'll get them out." They both fell silent and the only thing heard was a bird singing in the branches of the tree they were by. She looked down to where Amy was sitting, looking tired. The poor kid had been through so much the past few days. Maggie berated herself as she realized she was getting a soft spot for the girl. This whole adventure will be over soon and the kid can get back to worrying about school and chores.

Maggie looked out to where the others would be coming from. If they didn't show in the next five minutes or so, they were to go on ahead to the Stormpike headquarters and arrange for transportation home from there.

The bird stopped singing and Maggie stiffened, her senses on alert. In her peripheral vision, she could see Adam pause as well. They weren't alone. The smell of decay reached her just before she felt the sharp blade enter her lower back. Maggie cried out in pain, her limbs losing strength. She fell to the ground as Amy screamed in fright.

"Maggie!" Adam's voice reached her and then the sound of fighting. Maggie tried hard to focus herself to move beyond the pain. She knew she was losing blood, yet could do nothing about that. A light touch on her side caused her to open her eyes that she didn't realize she had closed. Sitting next to her was Amy. The child's face was red, puffy, and full of worry and fear.

Maggie forced herself to sit up and look at who Adam was fighting. It was an undead rogue, the same one she had seen at Ravenholdt's. This must be Mason. The rogue was skilled, but so was Adam. Maggie pulled out her throwing star. Her aim might be off from her injury, so she had to make sure there was a safe opportunity to throw it at the forsaken who had stabbed her.

Maggie felt her back grow warm and sticky with blood. "Amy. I need your help. You may not like it." This will get the child's attention off Adam, as well as help her. When the girl nodded, Maggie pulled a bandage from her small hip pack. "Take this and put strong pressure on my back where I was stabbed. It'll slow the bleeding. Don't be squeamish about it. You can do it."

Amy took the bandage, and with only a slight hesitation, pressed it against Maggie's back. Maggie hissed in pain and had to shut her eyes until she was sure she would not black out. She could feel perspiration forming on her forehead. "Good girl. I'm going to try and help Adam-"

She stopped talking when the pressure fell away.

"Amy, you need to-" Amy's cry of alarm caused her to stop what she was saying and turn, despite the pain it brought. There, with a dagger to Amy's neck, stood Lara. Maggie growled. This forsaken woman was causing way too much trouble for them.

"Drop your weapon, human!"

Maggie looked at her partner and saw he had just finished delivering a killing blow to Mason when he heard Lara's demand. When he saw Amy's predicament, he glanced at Maggie briefly before complying, tossing his dagger aside. "Let her go," he said with heavy breaths from his fighting. Adam moved slowly to be next to Maggie.

"No. This one is too much a distraction to Jerold. He has lost his focus all because of this little one." The mage cast a spell and Maggie heard bleating. Adam had been polymorphed. Lara turned her eyes to Maggie. "You'll watch this little one die, then I'll finish you off."

Maggie saw Amy struggle to get away, but was not strong enough. The child stomped on Lara's foot, but the mage merely winced and hissed as she lifted the dagger. But that was all she did before her face almost cracked from surprise. Maggie didn't hesitate at the opening she saw. "Amy, duck!' The child did as told immediately and with the last of her strength Maggie threw her star, feeling her own wound open more as she did so.

Lara fell over and didn't move as Amy crawled over to Maggie. With Lara taken out, her spell on Adam was canceled and he resumed his normal shape. He made sure Amy was okay before Maggie felt his hands on her. She couldn't move. "DORMIR!" Adam yelled for the druid in a desperate voice. Maggie figured her injuries must be really bad for him to call out like that.

She didn't know how long she had lain there when Dormir's face came into view, already muttering his healing spells. Not long after, Ileeya's face appeared, adding her own stronger healing spells to Maggie's wounds. When they were done, they moved away and the only face she saw was Mathias'.

The man's normally masked face told her more about his feelings for her than words ever would. "Hey," he said.

Maggie gave him a weak smile. "It must be bad."

He gave her a half smile. "You lost a lot of blood, Mags. But you'll pull through." His voice was gentle and quiet, but he cleared his throat and spoke louder now for the benefit of the others. "I expect you to report for duty in three days, Strome. A little cut is no excuse for missing work."

Maggie grinned full out, glad he wasn't going to coddle her. "Yes sir."

He then stood up and walked over to Lara's body to make sure she was dead. When he came back, he had Maggie's throwing star. He also showed Maggie and Adam a dagger that neither of them recognized. "I found this in her back. You three had a guardian angel looking after you." He tucked the dagger in his belt to be examined later.

He then sat her up, supporting her since her back muscles were too weak and she saw everyone gathered around, including a new face, that of a worgen. Maggie barely had time to wonder where he had come from when Shaw put something into Maggie's hand. "Feel the button?" She nodded. "You have the honors, Ms. Strome. Push it."

Maggie glanced at him with a question in her eyes, but didn't ask. Instead, she pushed the button. A split-second later a loud explosion could be heard from the direction of Tarren Mill. Looking in that direction, she could see a large plume of smoke billowing up from the forsaken town. A few seconds later, the shockwave hit them, and they had to brace themselves against it. Yelling voices could be heard in the distance as fire began to burn some of the buildings. She looked at Shaw with a little surprise. "Where'd the explosives come from?"

"Remember when I disappeared the other night?" She nodded. "We've had a team hiding out near here. I had gone there to check on their progress and to have them keep an eye out for Adam and the others who had been missing even though it was a long shot. The explosives were something that we had been planning anyhow. Then as Kirlothenin and I were coming out of the building earlier, I ran into Whitmore here. From there it was merely a matter of the elf distracting Cromush while Whitmore got the explosives and his team placed them. His signal to let me know they were done was howling atop a roof." Shaw grinned. "He had impeccable timing."

Maggie glanced at the worgen who was standing next to the blood elf. The mage wasn't paying attention to them. He was looking off to the side. Maggie looked in the direction of Lara, who was the object of Kirlothenin's attention. The elf stepped over to her body, though did not touch it. He said a few silent words as though he were at a funeral. After a few minutes silence, he muttered a spell and a large pyroblast shot from his hands, engulfing the forsaken's body. Everyone remained quiet as they watched her body slowly turn to ashes. "Lara will never bother us again," he said quietly. Then added, "May N'Lar finally find her peace." Ileeya moved to stand next to Kirlothenin and Maggie felt her eyes burn with tears, the aftereffects of what they had gone through.

Maggie blinked her eyes. She hardly knew this elf. It was unlike her to feel so empathic towards another, much less cry. She put it down to her weakened state as Dormir and Adam dragged Mason's body over to the fire to burn as well. "We can let Baros know we've kept our promise," Shaw said to Kirlothenin.

Kirlothenin nodded his head, then was silent for a minute before glancing around. "Jerold is still unaccounted for. We need to return now." As he created a portal back to Ravenholdt's, Mathias picked Maggie up in his arms to take her through the portal. The look he gave her ordered her not to protest. She didn't. She couldn't even stand. _Okay_, she thought, _just a little coddling is acceptable_.

**…**

Baros wiped his forehead again and tried to focus on his work. After getting a brief explanation of what Jorach wanted done to his manor, he had set to work right away in order to stop thinking about trying to find something his body could not have. Of course, it would have been easier if he had his measuring tools with him. Instead, he had to do rough estimations.

Baros glanced at the door. He wanted to leave the room in search of something. He wasn't sure what. It was as though his body wanted something he couldn't identify. Baros figured it had to be this addiction to magic. He hadn't realized how strong this desire would be. The mage had said it would not be the full force of his addiction, but a shared feeling. Was the elf really this close to losing control of himself?

He had to stand and move around. It felt as though he were full of adrenaline. Baros wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he felt weak. When Kirlothenin had drawn upon Baros' strong will, it had drained Baros of part of his will. Apparently, this was shared between them as well.

He sat back down and tried to work again. It worked for awhile and he felt himself get lost in his work until another desire to leave came to him again. He stood and walked over to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Baros glanced at Jorach with annoyance. "I just need to go for a walk." He rubbed his sweaty palms together.

"Why?"

Baros muttered a "Nevermind" and went back to his desk. He hadn't really wanted to go for a walk. It was almost as though his body was trying to go in search of something. He then noticed that Kristie wasn't in the room with them. "Where's my daughter?"

"She and Narine went to the privy."

"_Mr. Alexston. Our promise has been kept_." Kirlothenin's voice spoke in Baros' head.

"_Good, just a sec..._" he thought back to him. Baros stepped outside the room, ignoring Ravenholdt's objections. The privy was located at the end of the hallway. He saw Narine standing outside the door. "_How long has she been in there?_"

"_Who? Been in where?_"

Baros frowned. "_I messed up this stupid telepathy again,_" he thought to himself. "_Uh, Kristie went to the privy. Narine is standing outside on guard. Must not think there's a danger, she looks quite relaxed._"

"_We're returning, Mr. Alexston. Expect us in one minute._"

**…**

Kristie closed the door behind her after entering the privy. She paused at the mirror hanging over the water basin and saw for the first time the bruises on her face and neck. She reached up and touched her short-cropped hair, remembering Stavron's attack on her earlier. She pushed that memory to the back of her head and let her hand drop. The door opened and Kristie sighed. "I'll just be another minute, Nar-"

She stopped when she saw who had entered the room. Kristie backed up. "Jerold!" In his hand was a vile with the yellow gas. She figured that was how he had gotten past Narine. But how did he get this far without being seen? Kristie answered that herself when she remembered using invisibility potions to hide her travels from her home to Lord Grayson's house.

"Everything is ruined," was all he said. Kristie felt her heart pounding against her chest. Her eyes darted between his face, the vial, and the door which was now closed behind him. "I will not finish my project." He took a step towards her and she grabbed the water pitcher. It wasn't much of a defensive weapon, but with the water in it still, it was somewhat heavy enough to maybe knock him out.

"We are not things to experiment with!" Her voice was gruff, but she could hear the fear in it.

Jerold waved a hand dismissively. "We are all experiments, my dear. Take your relationship with Amy. It will be an experiment to see if she fits within your little family, whether you acknowledge it as that or not." He stepped forward again, but Kristie didn't back up any more. She was only a few inches from the wall. The privy was rather small. She could only hope to keep him talking until that stuff wore off on Narine.

"Where's Amy?"

"Oh, they were successful in rescuing her." He paused and tilted his head. "She was a puzzle to me. A puzzle I needed to unlock and decipher. And just when I was ready to solve it," his voice became spiteful, "the puzzle was taken from me."

At this news, Kristie felt relieved that Amy was safe. But why was Jerold here, now? "What do you want, Jerold?"

"All things come to an end eventually, Miss Kristie Alexston." He put a cork in the yellow vial and put it away, pulling out another one in the meantime. "She said she wouldn't be happy unless she was with you and Adam." Kristie swallowed, not liking the tone in the apothecary's voice.

"Kristie?" Adam's voice came through the door.

Faster than she would have expected him to be able to move, he grabbed her and pulled her to him, spinning around so they were facing the door, his hand at her throat. This movement made her drop the pitcher and it broke on the floor. "Adam!" She cried out and a second later, the door slammed open.

Adam stood at the doorway. Kristie could see Kirlothenin and Narine behind him. "I am unarmed." Jerold's voice sounded oddly calm to Kristie. "Well, except for this vial." He waved the sealed vial with pale green liquid inside. "Now what could be in here, you wonder?" With his thumb, he pushed on the cork at the top of the vial and pushed it off. "Shall we find out?"

"No." Kirlothenin cast a spell and was suddenly standing directly in front of them. He grabbed Jerold's hand that held the vial and Jerold let go of Kristie to frantically try and keep the mage from taking the vial from him. She used the opportunity to duck past Kirlothenin and quickly run to Adam. He paused only long enough to make sure she was okay then turned his attention to Kirlothenin and Jerold who were locked in a struggle.

Kirlothenin managed to turn Jerold around so that his back was towards Adam. The rogue didn't miss this opportunity and stepped forward, stabbing the forsaken in the back. As the undead fell to the floor, Kirlothenin wrested the vial from Jerold's hand. Adam moved over the fallen apothecary only to pause as the man began to mumble almost incoherently.

"See...white trees. White. Fire. Laughing. Warmth. Arrow." His voice had an almost mad cackle to it. "The arrowhead! I see it! I- I understand. The key. The ...arrow is ...key. I …remember."

Kristie felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and she glanced to see Ileeya standing there with her. Together they watched the yellow orbs that were Jerold's eyes extinguish. A shiver went through her body. She wrapped one arm around Ileeya's waist as Adam came over. Her other arm wrapped around his waist. Kirlothenin joined Ileeya and together the four of them silently regarded each other. It was over.


	23. Chapter 23

They wanted to take it from him. But he won't let them. No. He'll show them. He'll take theirs instead. He didn't know how long he had been wandering the land. It didn't matter. He would not stop searching for the power, the energy. Stopping by a small pond, he cupped his hands in to get some water to drink. As he did so, he saw his reflection. Gone were his distinct features he had once been proud of. He no longer cared. His face was drawn and tight. His hair tattered and darkened. He hardly looked like an elf anymore. The Wretched drank the water and then splashed the pond to erase the image he saw. It mattered not how he looked. The only thing that mattered was his thirst.

A noise alerted him to someone nearby. Standing up quickly, he faced the direction of the noise. A strand of hair fell in his face. This one had what he thirsted for. He could see the aura behind the bushes. Sweet arcane magic. His body practically tingled in anticipation of tapping the person of their magical energies. He smiled wickedly few had ever gotten away from him. He would drain them of their magic and leave them to the wild animals of these woods.

Using his own precious magical energies, he made himself invisible and heard an almost inaudible gasp. The Wretched moved to his left, circling around to where he could see the aura. There crouched low was an elf. She seemed to think she was hidden, but her aura had given her away. Another use of his precious magic, and the Wretched froze the elf to the spot, letting his invisibility spell drop as he did so. "Must have..." His eyes grew wider in anticipation as he approached her to tap her of her magic.

The elf shook her head, her pale blond hair falling over her shoulders. Her blue eyes held little fear. "No An'da!" This caused him to pause. The language she spoke was Darnassian. Why speak that to him? His body shook, almost in frustration at the delicious magic trapped before him just waiting for him to take. He moved forward again. "Dad! Stop! Don't you recognize me?"

He stopped again and took a closer look at her. Her ears were slightly longer than most Quel'dorei. And now that he paying more attention, her skin had a violet hue to it. Something in the back of his mind said he should know her. She called him 'dad'. Was this his daughter? He struggled for a name he hadn't thought of in years. "A-dorei?"

"I- I wanted to find you for so long, An'da. Please. Please can you forget your desires and become who you used to be?" Her eyes pleaded with him.

He struggled for a moment, but the desires called to him, overwhelming him as they always do. The life he had before he had given in to is addiction was gone. There was nothing left save for the sweet magical energies that call to him always. And hers was too appealing not to take. With a hunger beyond his comprehension, he surged forward to attack her.

**…**

Kirlothenin woke up, gasping for breath. Sweat matted his hair and his eyes grew wide with the lingering horror of his nightmare. Hands touched him and he flinched away, turning is head to see a female blood elf sitting next to his bed. He blinked and tried to reel in his emotions, looking around the room he was in. He didn't recognized the place. "Where am I?"

"Stormwind. More specifically, Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker's home." Her voice was gruff, yet held a hint of concern. "That was some nightmare you were having."

He looked at her again, calming down and collecting his thoughts once more. She looked familiar. Where had he seen her before? She held a bowl with something inside and indicated for him to drink it. Lifting his hands to take it, he saw a bracelet on his wrist with a simple blue stone. A magic blocker. Was he a prisoner? Memories began to come back to him as he took it and drank. The brew had a calming effect and he let it work it's way through his system. As he drank, he recalled Ravenholdt Manor.

**...**

_One week ago..._

Ravenholdt's men pulled Jerold's body outside. There, they burned it so that he could not be raised again into undeath. Once the flames engulfed the forsaken's body, Shaw approached Kirlothenin. "Can you port us anywhere near Stormwind?"

Kirlothenin gave a grim smile. "I can." He remembered going into Stormwind on business when he was still a member of the Kirin Tor. That was before Arthas Menethil had lead his army of undead into Quel'Thalas, killing many high elves, including N'Lar. Stormwind has probably changed somewhat, but he figured one place would be the same. "Has the Cathedral District changed any in the past ten years?

Shaw raised an eyebrow. "A little. But not much. The Cathedral is still there."

Kirlothenin watched Adam and Baros carry Aron Boxley's body outside. It was time to relinquish his connection to the architect, but the addiction would come back full force, and he could be a danger to himself and others. "Mathias Shaw, I must ask a favor." When the SI:7 leader turned his full attention on him, Kirlothenin asked, "After I open the portal to the Cathedral District, I must end the connection to Mr. Alexston. I want you to render me unconscious and keep me that way until Broll Bearmantle arrives. The letter I sent earlier informed him of my ...condition. He can help me get through this."

"Aren't you worried what would happen to you if you go to Stormwind?" Shaw regarded him with a studious eye.

"No. I already have a sentence on my head, which Bearmantle has authority on. First thing is first, however. I need to get over this addiction." The mage watched Mathias pull out a small bottle and coat his dagger with its contents.

"A simple sleeping poison. I'm afraid it must be applied by giving you a cut and let it mix into your bloodstream."

"That is acceptable. Ileeya can heal the cut easily. Just don't let her remove the poison." Kirlothenin muttered the words to create the portal while envisioning the steps of the cathedral in Stormwind. Once that was done, Shaw's blade sliced across Kirlothenin's arm, not too deep, but enough to bleed. The mage ended the connection to Baros and gasped as he lost the architect's extra will and the addiction came back to him in full force. He immediately began to perspire and breathe hard. It didn't last long, however, as the sleeping poison worked it's way through his system. A few seconds later, darkness enveloped him.

**…**

_Present..._

Kirlothenin put the empty bowl down as he regarded the blood elf before him. He recalled her name finally. "Valeera Sanguinar." She had helped him the first time he had to recover from his addiction.

"That's me." She smirked.

"How long have I been out of it?"

"A week. Broll ordered that bracelet to be put on you. Apparently, you can cast magic while dreaming."

He glanced at the bracelet. "Then I am not a prisoner?"

Valeera shrugged a shoulder. "Well, I know you're not supposed to leave this house until some people have some sort of meeting. I didn't ask."

He regarded her. "You can roam freely here?"

Her eyes darkened slightly. "Lo'Gosh wouldn't dare lock me up. Though I claim no loyalty to the Alliance, he knows I am loyal to him and Broll. Some people give me dirty looks, others ignore me. I don't care either way. They are strangers." She stood up and walked towards a table. "Food here if you're hungry. How are you feeling?"

He searched within himself and found that the overwhelming feeling of needing more magic had diminished greatly. "It is back to a more reasonable level. I thank you for your help in this, Ms. Sanguinar."

"Valeera. I don't go for the formality stuff."

"Valeera." He looked at the bracelet again. "Where are Ileeya and Adorei?"

"Downstairs. Want me to go get them?"

Kirlothenin recalled the dream he had had. "No. I have a favor to ask, first."

**…**

Adam hooked a finger underneath the collar of his suit. He hated wearing this formal attire. But, it was par for the course when attending an official meeting in the House of Nobles. Kristie adjusted his tie. She looked beautiful in the dress she wore. He was nervous, but tried not to show it. He had had no training in politics. When he had expressed his concerns to Lord Grayson, the paladin only smiled. "Maybe you'll bring in a fresh perspective."

Kristie looked him in the eyes. "You'll do fine. I'll be right next to you. Remember, it's my first time as well."

"You should be the vote-giver instead of me. You seem to have a better understanding of politics than me."

She laughed. "That's because Dad was always talking about this and that decision the Nobles had made."

Adam gave her a kiss. "I'm glad you're with me, Kristie. I don't think I could do this without you." His mind went briefly to the funeral they had had for his father two days ago. Most of the House of Nobles had attended, and even King Varian had come. Prince Anduin had been elsewhere and couldn't attend. It had been hard watching his father's body being lowered into the ground next to Ruben's grave. Adam closed his eyes to keep them from watering as he pushed those memories back. He couldn't look weak in front of the other nobles.

With a deep breath and letting it out quickly, he nodded his head to her and the two entered the Patrician's Chambers. The couple were greeted warmly by Lord Grayson and a few other nobles. Others, however, were more reserved. Baron Aldous Lescovar was among those who disliked Adam's spot in the House of Nobles. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the little runaway."

Adam faced him with a mask of neutrality. "Good evening, Baron Lescovar."

The Baron's eyes roamed to Kristie and he looked her up and down. Adam didn't like the way he looked at her. "The Alexston girl. I suppose you're here to speak on behalf of your father?" Adam felt Kristie stiffen next to him.

"Lady Alexston is here as my future bride, Baron. As such, she is due the respect of her status." Adam's voice was congenial, but the warning could not be missed.

"_Lady_ Alexston?" Aldous sneered openly. "She is not yet married to you. I will not address her as such until after your wedding...if it should occur."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Adam lost his reserved tone and outright challenged the man, stepping forward as he did so.

Lord Grayson and Lord Romano stepped in between the two. "Gentlemen. We have business to discuss," Grayson said.

"Then let's discuss it and get it done with!" Lescovar said, turning away with a smug look on his swinish face.

Grayson stepped forward as the others found their seats. "First on the agenda tonight is a new issue. It seems we have some citizens in need of Stormwind's help in Lordaeron. As you know, Southshore in Hillsbrad was decimated last year. Some of the citizens have retreated to an island in Lordaemere Lake and are holding out for as long as they can. One of Lord Aron Boxley's last promises was that he would send supplies and aid to them." He nodded in Adam's direction. "His son is here today to make sure his father's final promise is fulfilled."

Lescovar spoke up. "Be that as it may, Lord Aron spoke too soon if he thinks he can speak for the whole of the House of Nobles. We've already given enough to this damn war of Varian's. If the Hillsbrad refugees want peace, have them come here and give up that small island!"

Adam stood up to speak. "They are fighting for what they believe in, Lescovar. They didn't choose to have the forsaken decimate their homes!"

"That's not our problem, Boxley. We have to focus on our own homes, not some half-built shacks they seem to think they have a claim to! Lordaeron is the forsaken's territory! Let them have it and we can have ours."

Now Kristie stood up. "Do you really think the forsaken will let it rest there? Once they are secure in the Northern Territories, you can bet they will head south. How would you like it if your home was suddenly taken from you? Would you fight for it?"

Lescovar stepped closer to her, eyes narrowed and Adam placed himself between them. "You're rather eager to spend other people's money, Miss Alexston," the baron said.

"Ease up there, Baron," Grayson interjected. "If Miss Alexston hadn't said it, I would have. She's seen the way the refugees live firsthand. She has a right to speak."

"Does she?" Lescovar turned to the paladin. "I think she speaks too soon for not being a true noble. She's just a commoner looking to marry into wealth and notoriety. And if she's seen them firsthand, then maybe she's too close to the situation."

Adam was livid with the accusations the baron was throwing out about Kristie. Romano had to hold him back and Lescovar sneered at him. "Don't play with the big boys, kid. You might get hurt. Why don't you go back to your little guild and leave the grown up work to the real nobility."

Before Adam could get a word off otherwise, a voice from the entrance to the room spoke evenly, but with a clear warning. "I assure you, Baron Lescovar, Lord Boxley and Lady Alexston are pure nobles and anyone who says otherwise will have me to answer to, is that clear?"

Everyone turned and quickly bowed to King Varian Wrynn who stepped fully into the room now. "Your Highness. I was merely-"

"Save the platitudes Lescovar. Let's get on with the business of the Hillsbrad refugees. King Greymane has offered the support of the Gilneans should you vote to help the refugees. Apparently one of SI:7's worgen agents had put in a recommendation to him. They want to work together at establishing a foothold."

The rest of the evening went without any more incidents and Adam and Kristie walked home, tired. Lord Tony Romano joined them. "I expected some grumbling when you two arrived. It seems Lescovar has taken a real dislike to you," said Romano.

"We noticed. Is he always like that?" Adam asked.

"Sometimes." Romano stopped and looked at them. "I don't think he'll really try anything, but if he's anything like his father, we might want to keep an eye on him. You should know, he's also spoken of misgivings of Amy's entitlement to a noble's respect."

Adam growled under his breath. "None of his da-" He glanced at Kristie and corrected himself. "None of his business. We already consider her to be our daughter. Blood lines don't matter."

"He's old school, Adam. To him, bloodlines are everything. And don't be surprised if he pushes the fact that he is a higher ranking noble. He'll get away with whatever he can." Romano glanced around. "I've got a meeting I need to get to. Just remember, if he thinks he can push you around, he will and then some. And he's not the only one to keep an eye on." Romano bid them farewell and left.

"And here I thought the life of a rogue was tough." Adam shook his head. "Let's go home."

**…**

"There are only two people right now that I trust to do this. Miss Proudmoore is unavailable, so I'm asking you."

"I am honored." Ysuria stood watching Kirlothenin in the quiet manner he remembered she had. "But, I'm curious. Why me?"

Kirlothenin looked out the window, watching a bird fly high above the trees. "You never judged me. When I was Ileeya's prisoner, you stood and watched, never glaring, never saying anything." He looked at her now. "Most high elves would have shown their disdain, or made some sort of remark. You did not. And when you finally spoke, it was out of concern for Ileeya and Adorei. For that you have earned my trust and respect."

"Respect, I see. Trust?" She looked over towards Adam, Mathias, and Broll sitting at a table. "Perhaps some, but not without some reservations."

"I've asked them here only because of what had happened the last time I let a mage into my head, Ysuria. I do trust you, but I am still ...wary."

"I assure you, I have no interest in promoting your addiction, Kirlothenin." She hesitated. "Are you sure you want to do this? It won't solve your problem."

He regarded her with an openness he had not shown the last time he had seen her. "It is what they used against me, and were nearly successful. I will not allow it to happen again. By blocking my knowledge of how to tap magical energies, I cannot use it to feed my addiction. Nor can anyone else use it against me. It is a simple block and can be removed at a later date should I trust myself to do so."

"Very well. Let us begin." She stepped up to him and placed a hand on his temple. A few minutes later, she finished and Kirlothenin could no longer tap magical energies. It didn't seem to matter all that much to him. He had used other methods to restore his magical energies since allying himself with Ileeya- methods that would not feed his addiction. Those would have to suffice. He realized that he was essentially giving up his ties to the sin'dorei in doing this as well. But he guessed that it didn't matter since his name is most likely on wanted posters in the Horde cities now.

Ysuria asked if he wanted her to send in Ileeya and Adorei. Kirlothenin told her not yet. "First, I would like to speak to Lord Boxley and Mr. Shaw alone for a moment." The high elf and druid nodded their heads before leaving the room.

"Yeah, drop the 'Lord' part, Kirlothenin or I'll slap you upside the head again," Adam said as soon as the others had left.

"But that is your title now." Kirlothenin allowed a small smile on his face.

"So? Friends don't have to use titles unless in formal situations. This isn't formal."

The mage lost his smile as he regarded the younger man. Did Adam just call him a friend? There was a stirring inside him that he recognized as appreciation for the man's willingness to put the past behind him. "Very well, Adam."

Mathias pulled something out and showed it to Kirlothenin. "Before we do anything else, I want to ask if you might recognize this?" The mage took the dagger from Shaw and realized it was the one pulled from Lara's back. He took a closer look and shook his head, noticing initials etched on the pommel.

"R.M.?" He searched his memory of anyone he may know with those initials but ended up shaking his head. "I don't know anyone with those initials."

"I know a couple of people with the initials in their names. However, I doubt this belongs to either of them. No one else from our group is familiar with this dagger, nor the initials. The team of agents I had stationed in Hillsbrad weren't familiar with it either." He put the dagger away. "We'll figure it out eventually. Now, what did you want to talk to us about, Mr. Dawnwhisper?"

Kirlothenin looked down for a moment and took in a deep breath. "I require an important promise from you." He looked at each of them staring at him in silence. When he spoke again, it was very sombre and serious. "Should I ever succumb to my addiction and become a Wretched, I want you to kill me."

Adam shook his head. "You won't-"

"I never thought I'd get as close as I did a week ago, Adam," he snapped. "I have no intention of giving in to my addiction. But I must face the truth that there is a chance it _could_ happen somehow. And _if_ it does, the last thing I want is to hurt others in my search for the arcane. To a quel'dorei and sin'dorei, becoming a Wretched is equal to becoming undead, perhaps worse. Once a Wretched always a Wretched. There's no turning back. The best thing you could do for me should such a thing occur, is to kill me."

The younger rogue regarded him for a few minutes. He glanced at Shaw, then back at Kirlothenin. "I ...promise."

Kirlothenin looked at Shaw. "I'm afraid that Mr. Alexston has a somewhat undisciplined mind, Mr. Shaw. While we were linked, he unwittingly revealed to me that which a rogue holds in the highest regards, that of a blood promise." He saw the man tense up and quickly reassured him. "I will tell no one of what I have discovered. I understand your desire to keep it secret. However," he regarded Adam once more. "I'm afraid it is what I ask from you, Adam Boxley."

Adam stood silent and still. The mage could only guess what was going through his head. "There is more." He sighed. "The reason I ask such a heavy promise is because of a recurring nightmare. In this dream, I had succumbed to my desires and become a Wretched. At one point, I..." He looked away, turmoil stirring inside him. "I come across Adorei as an adult. My desires overrode my love for her and I attacked her." He felt disgusted with himself, despite the fact that it was not real.

"It was just a dream."

"I realize that, Adam. But the fear is very real to me right now. This is why I ask the promise." He looked back at his new friend, feeling quite vulnerable at the moment. It was hard for him to admit fear to anyone. To keep his mind off it, he changed the subject, slightly. "Is it customary for me to give a promise in return?"

Adam glanced at Mathias, then back at Kirlothenin. "Yeah." He fell silent and paced away a few feet. A few minutes later, he paced back, running his hand through his hair. "Kristie and I went to our first House of Nobles meeting last night. It was tense, to say the least. I don't trust Lescovar and a couple of other nobles. While I have faith that Shaw and SI:7 will keep us safe, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have an extra set of experienced eyes watching our backs." At Kirlothenin's nod, Adam added, "It's a lot to ask. So I'm going to make this even. Kirlothenin, not only will I promise to do as you asked, I will also watch your back, including Ileeya's, Adorei's and whomever else may come along. In return, you will watch my back, including Kristie, Amy, and any future Boxley." Adam paused, then added, "Provided the women approve."

One corner of Kirlothenin's mouth curled upwards as he nodded his head. He then paused and shook his head. "One addendum to that. I don't think it would be a good idea to tell Ileeya about your promise to kill me. As much as I don't want to keep secrets from her, I think it would be best to just not say anything."

Adam agreed. "Kristie wouldn't like it, either. So, same goes for her."

Shaw pulled out a dagger. He started to clean it off and spoke to Kirlothenin. "You realize what this means, Mr. Dawnwhisper?"

"Call me Kir."

"Good. You elves have damn long names." He checked the blade of his dagger before speaking again. "This blood promise will make you and Adam family, literally. You will be brothers."

The mage nodded once more and glanced at Adam. "I don't have a problem with that if he doesn't."

Adam had an odd look on his face, then a slow smile spread across it. "I think ...I wouldn't mind having a brother again."

Now Kirlothenin grinned. "As I am older than you, I suppose I would get to order you around."

Shaw grinned now. "If you accept my job offer, then I'm afraid _he'll_ get to order _you_ around. New recruits always start at the lowest rank, no matter how good they are."

Kirlothenin blinked and turned his full attention to the SI:7 leader. "Job?"

"Yeah. SI:7 is a rogue guild, but we've employed others before who were not rogues. We could use a mage of your caliber, Kirlothenin."

"Would your King Varian approve of me staying here and working for you?"

"Already has. After having Broll, Valeera, and myself vouch for you, he couldn't say no."

Kirlothenin was stunned, speechless. He honestly hadn't thought the Alliance would go so far as to allow him to work for them. He had figured he would be confined to a small area until he was asked to leave and go back to Moonglade.````

Moonglade. Kirlothenin frowned. Was is safe there now? The forsaken apothecaries may not let them be until they have Adorei. Of course, the Cenarian Circle druids who lived in Moonglade would probably step up security for them, especially with Dormir being a member and Ileeya applying to join them. He truly loved working for himself with the alchemy, but there had been times when he had felt a little bored. He never said anything, though. As long as he was with Ileeya and Adorei, he was happy. The idea of working for Shaw was intriguing. Perhaps he could work part time for himself as an alchemist, and part time for Shaw? But then, Ileeya may not like the idea. "I would have to discuss it with Ileeya before I give you an answer to that, Mr. Shaw."

"Understandable. I should mention while you are considering it, once you're accepted, your house arrest in Moonglade would be pardoned. Broll has already agreed to it. Now, to complete this pact between you and Adam..."

After the two rolled up their sleeves, Adam grasped Kirlothenin's arm just below the elbow. Shaw placed the dagger between their arms as Kirlothenin grabbed Adam's arm. The two repeated their promises to each other and Shaw pulled the dagger down quickly, cutting their skin. He pressed the arms together to let the blood mingle. "It is done."


	24. Chapter 24

Ileeya watched Adorei's face as she slept. It was amazing how the infant could sleep through just about anything, including the constant sound of Kristie's hammer hitting the chisel. They were on the back porch of Lord Grayson's home. The sculptress had been working for a long time, creating something for a client.

The druid was amazed at how Kristie could take a simple square block and turn it into a work of art. "Is that supposed to be a waterfall?" She couldn't see the whole thing as Kristie worked on it.

The woman nodded. "It's a place Adam took me to awhile back. We plan to go back there and camp after our wedding."

"Do you plan to continue working for your father after you're married? As I understand it, Adam is now rich."

Kristie looked at Ileeya. "Of course! I worked hard to get to this level of skill. Plenty of nobles have other jobs. Adam plans to continue working for SI:7." The human pulled the kerchief off her face and ruffed up her hair to get the dust particles out of it, then sat down next to Ileeya. "You seem ...settled." She smiled. "Have you found what makes you happy?"

"I have." She glanced out to watch some leaves sway in the bushes. "Helping others. The Hillsbrad refugees helped me realize that I want to heal those who need it, as well as help them grow things. I still love working with my herbs, though."

"Has that helped you figure out how you feel about Kirlothenin?"

Ileeya glanced at her. "Yes." She knew Kristie hoped to hear more, but Ileeya didn't want to elaborate. She was feeling dismayed that Kirlothenin wanted to see others before her. He didn't even want to see Adorei. Had his near escape from becoming a Wretched changed him? She felt a hand on hers and looked into Kristie's concerned face. She didn't want to voice her fears, so she quickly changed the subject. "How's Amy doing? Still having nightmares?"

Kristie nodded her head. "They'd diminished some since Dormir helped her learn how to control them. But she'll come to me in my room at night still." She glanced away. "I admit, it makes me feel better when she does."

The night elf peered at Kristie, picking up on what was left unsaid. "Your own nightmares have returned?"

A moment's hesitation and the sculptress nodded. "They are now a mix of my old nightmares and new ones that include Stavron being raised as an undead and Jerold's dying words." For some reason his words haunted her. What was he mumbling about, and what did he remember? She shook her head. "I know it's just a dream, but..." She shrugged.

"I'll have Dad come visit you," Ileeya said. "I'm sorry I haven't been trained in the Dream, yet. But I'll assist Dad if you want."

Kristie nodded and thanked her just as Adam came out onto the porch with a cut on his arm, the blood smeared. Kristie's eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is?"

Ileeya stood up to examine the cut as Adam answered. "Yes. I'll tell you about it later." After she healed his cut, Adam told Ileeya, "He wants to see you and Adorei now."

She didn't wait to be told twice. Ileeya quickly went upstairs to his room. She hadn't been alone with him since just after his fight in the ring. Her heart fluttered as she paused outside his room. Why was she nervous seeing him now? The druid dismissed the fear that he wanted to go away from her now. It was ridiculous. He had kept his promise to stay with her, why should she worry now? She shook her head and gave a quick knock on the door before opening it.

Kirlothenin stood alone at the window looking out. He turned his head and looked at her, giving her a sad smile. She immediately saw that he had a cut on his right arm in nearly the same spot that Adam did. Ileeya went to him, her eyebrows furrowed. What had happened? As she healed his arm, he took Adorei from her, setting her down on the bed between two pillows to keep her from rolling off.

"Sit down. There's something I need to tell you," he said.

Ileeya hoped he would explain what was going on with him as she took a chair next to the table. She noticed that tea had been made and a cup was waiting for her. She took it but didn't drink as she waited for him to explain.

Explain, he did. He told her what had happened in the room with the three forsaken and how he had come to be on the verge of turning into a Wretched. He then told about his dreams during his recovery and fear of hurting her and Adorei. After that, he told her about Ysuria putting in a block to keep him from tapping magic.

She was still taking all this in when he continued. "There is something rogues call a blood promise." She felt a little confused at this seeming change of subject. He must have seen her confusion and held up his arm that she had healed. "It's a binding promise that makes the pact-givers family." He took her hand and traced a pattern in her palm. "I made a blood promise with Adam." His fel green eyes searched her silver ones as she took this in.

"What ...was the promise?" She felt tense, but wasn't sure why.

"We made a pact to watch each other's back- to protect each other's family."

Ileeya felt relieved. "He agreed to that?"

"Yes. It seems he's learned to let go of grudges." Kirlothenin smiled now and Ileeya returned the smile, watching his mouth, but then she thought of something.

"How will you both be able to do that if we are each on different continents?"

"Well, it seems that fate has led us here for a reason." He hesitated before speaking again. "I like Moonglade and our jobs there, Ileeya. But your brother was right about something. I miss the hunt."

Ileeya's heart pounded. He was going to leave? Was he going back into the bounty hunter business? His hand reached up and cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. "Shaw has offered me a job. If I accept, I would be working for SI:7 with Adam and Maggie as my partners."

She wasn't sure what to think. Being on a team would be safer than being alone on a job. But he said '_if I accept_'. Does that mean he hasn't decided, yet?

"I wanted to talk to you, first, Ileeya. I want you to be happy and if my accepting this job makes you unhappy, I will not take it."

Ileeya licked her lips as her heart swelled with love for him. He was concerned about her happiness. She felt her eyes water but ignored it as she gave him a smile. "As long as you are alive and love me, I am happy, Kir."

"Even if it means living in Stormwind?"

This made her stop. She had never considered living here. Ileeya searched her heart. "I ...would miss the forests of home. But as long as we can visit, I think I could be content here." She then frowned. "But what of our business? And I'm not done with my druid training."

His face seemed to light up. "We can visit anywhere, anytime. Just say the word and I'll create a portal to take you anywhere, Ileeya." Her heart skipped a beat as he continued. "Shaw insists that Baros could refurbish a building for our own shop facing the canals near Olivia's Pond so that you could still be near nature. And Adam says both his homes are open to us as we are family now."

"Both? He has more than one home?"

Kirlothenin nodded. "One in the city, and one in Elwynn Forest where other citizens rent out space on his land to farm and tend." He stopped and smiled. "Adam has already made a request of us in his official capacity as a noble." She raised an eyebrow. "It seems there are many homeless and poor citizens in Westfall trying their best to make their farms work. He thinks maybe we could volunteer our time and go out there to help them once or twice a week. You could help them with their farms, and I could help in my own way as well. There is danger of bandits, but we could handle them and an SI:7 agent will be with us to make sure things go smoothly." He looked out the window.

Ileeya blinked. This was exactly the opportunity she had been hoping for herself. And to have Kirlothenin by her side would make it just perfect! She stood up and placed a hand on his arm as she looked in his face. "You like this idea?" She tried to decipher his facial expression, then frowned as she realized he had put a mask up. "Kirlothenin Dawnwhisper, stop hiding yourself from me! If we're going to make this relationship work, we need to be honest with our feelings."

She reached up and caressed his face. "In everything there must be balance. I haven't been pulling my weight in our relationship and it's time I step up." Ileeya pushed down her irrational fears. "Kristie told me to find my happiness and I could sort out my feelings for you. She was right. My happiness is helping others...with you and Adorei by my side. You've made it clear that my happiness is important to you, and I appreciate that. Your happiness is just as important to me."

She paused and her thumb traced his lower lip. Her voice dropped to almost a whisper. "I like your smile. I liked seeing you relax and not get uptight when Adam started that mud fight." She heard him chuckle and was rewarded with the upturn of his mouth.

"You want me happy, Ileeya? Tell me what I want to hear. You know how I feel about you. I've had closure to my past and am ready to move forward. What about you?"

Ileeya smiled, feeling at peace with herself. "Adam isn't the only one who's learned to let go of a grudge, Kir." She looked deep into his eyes to show how much she meant her next words. "I love you, Kirlothenin Dawnwhisper. I love you and I want to be with you-"

She was cut off as he leaned in and captured her lips with his own, his arms reaching around and crushing her to him. The world melted away as her own arms wrapped around him and kissed him back. She could feel his passion match her own. Her heartbeat thudded against her chest and the kiss continued until they had to separate and catch their breaths.

His hand lightly traced down her arm, sending goosebumps in its wake. She noted that he was breathing hard and a part of her wanted to explore their passion further, but Adorei decided to wake up at that moment.

Reluctantly, she parted from him and picked their child up. Adorei was hungry and she opened her tunic to let her nurse. Kirlothenin came over, placing a hand on Adorei and the other hand on Ileeya's shoulder. His face became more serious. "I want us to be a real family, Ileeya- not just parents of the same child." The hand on her shoulder moved to her hair as he gently stroked it. "I want to marry you." His hand dropped as Ileeya felt her eyes moisten. "I know I may be unworthy of such a promise, but I must ask. Will you marry me?" She swallowed at this declaration of his desires to seal their relationship. But before she could respond, he put a finger to her lips. "Don't answer now. Just, think about it. I want you to be sure."

**...**

Two days before the wedding, Adam, Kristie, Kirlothenin, Ileeya, Amy, and Adorei were sitting in Adam's large city home, chatting about some last minute wedding preparations. Because of Adam's elevated status, their guest list had grown. They were obligated to invite some nobles and the royal family, though they doubted the King and Prince had time to attend. Kristie would have loved to see Prince Anduin again, however.

Elenor arrived, bringing a box and some parchments with her. After having Kristie and Adam step aside out of earshot of Amy, Elenor said, "This is from the orphanage. It's all the things salvaged from Amy's family." She smiled at them. "I thought it best to let you have a look at it first, just in case there was something in there that would be too hard on Amy to see."

Kirlothenin joined them as the contents of the box were emptied onto the table. There was some clothing, a doll, a stack of letters, some more knick-knacks, and a small portrait of Amy and her father standing in front of a fireplace. Amy looked to be about four years old. After discussing it, Kristie and Adam decided to wait to give the letters to Amy until her sixteenth birthday. She'll have matured by then, and it would be a special gift for her.

The rest looked to be okay and they called Amy over to see the items for herself. Among the clothing was a dress they assumed had been Amy's mother's. Amy wanted to try it on right away, even though it would be too big. Kristie went with her to help button it up in the back. As Amy pulled her brown hair aside to make it easier for Kristie to button the dress, the older female noticed something. "I didn't know you had a birthmark on the back of your neck."

"The triangle-shaped mark?" Amy shrugged her shoulders. "It's always been there."

They returned to the main room where Adam and Ileeya complimented Amy on her new dress. She saw the picture of her and her father, a soft smile on her face. "I remember when this was done. The man making the portrait was mad at us because we kept moving and laughing." The child then went over to Ileeya and Adorei to show them the picture.

Elenor held up the parchments to show Adam and Kristie. "Here's her birth certificate and the adoption parchments. We just need a quill to make it official."

"I'll get one," Kirlothenin went to a nearby side table and returned with a quill and inkwell.

Kristie looked over the parchment and signed her name at the bottom. Adam followed suit. Tears came to Kristie's eyes, and she knew she was being emotional, but didn't care. Amy was officially theirs. She was about to call Amy over to tell her the good news, when Adam stopped her. He pointed to the birth certificate. On it was Amy's parents names. Roland and Beatrice Masters. Kristie didn't understand why Adam had thought that important. Kirlothenin glanced at him in confusion as well. Then Adam said, "Roland Masters. His initials are R. M.."

Kirlothenin narrowed his eyes. "It must be a coincidence. Lots of people have those initials." The look on his face wasn't convincing.

Adam shook his head. "You're right. He's dead. It couldn't have been him."

"I don't understand," she said. "What's going on?"

Adam glanced at her. "Remember what I told you about the dagger that Shaw pulled from Lara's back?" Kristie nodded her head. "It had those initials on it."

She gasped as her eyes widened. "You don't suppose he could be alive? Was there a mistake?" Her heart wrenched at the thought of losing Amy.

"I doubt it. The military rarely make mistakes when it comes to dead soldiers. Just to be sure, I can ask Shaw to look into it." Adam looked at Kristie. "You said he died in Northrend?"

Kristie nodded her head. "Yes, just after King Varian returned and Lady Katrina was exposed to be Onyxia," she said. "He was part of the first troops to head north. And one of the first to be killed."

"Did they return the body?"

Kristie shrugged her shoulders. "If there's no body, then there's the possibility he's alive?"

"Or undead," Kirlothenin added with a frown.

Kristie had to sit down as a flood of thoughts came to her, the blood draining from her face. Adam knelt beside her, concern in his face. Kristie almost couldn't breath. "By the Light..." she whispered. "His last words." She swallowed as she quoted the words she remembered in her nightmares, "See white trees." She looked up at Adam and Kirlothenin. "What makes a tree white?"

"Snow," Elenor said behind her.

She nodded. "Snow... from Northrend." She glanced in the direction of Amy and the portrait the child held. "Look at the portrait. They are standing in front of a fireplace. 'Fire. Warmth. Laughter.' Amy said they were laughing." Kristie leaned into Adam's arm.

"If it was him, then it's no wonder he was obsessed," Kirlothenin said quietly.

Adam added, "But he didn't know why until the end."

"When he finally remembered," said Kristie.

"It all adds up, except for the arrow." The mage looked at Kristie. "Was he killed by an arrow?"

Kristie shrugged. "I don't know how he died." She watched the child put the portrait down and begin making faces at Adorei. "Amy has a triangular-shaped birthmark on the back of her neck. Now that I think about it, it does look a little like an arrowhead."

Elenor spoke up now. "I don't understand. Who are you talking about?"

"Jerold," Kristie said. "His final words."

Kirlothenin shook his head. "There's no way of knowing for sure. It is all speculation. He could have picked that dagger up from anywhere, not to mention we have no proof it was him who threw it at Lara. He had no reason to."

"Or, he could have been the one who killed Roland Masters and taken the dagger from him," Adam said, then shook his head. "Let's just leave it at speculation. Either way, I don't think we should tell Amy. Let her remember her father as he was... _if_ it was him."

**...**

Kristie peeked out the window of the alcove within the Cathedral. She wore a white gown. Her hair was pulled into an updo with baby's breath mixed in. She was ready. Maggie and Ileeya stood near her with matching emerald green gowns. Kristie thought that the dress made Maggie's eyes even more vivid than they already were. Amy had a lighter green dress on, the sides of her hair pulled back with a barrette.

Ileeya had insisted on arranging the flowers and Kristie thought she had done a wonderful job. The food was catered by Adam's staff. They had done a wonderful job at the reception following Aron Boxley's funeral, and Kristie was sure the food would turn out great now.

The only thing that she wasn't too happy about was the high amount of security that both Shaw and Lord Grayson had insisted on. She could see soldiers line the perimeters of the wedding gazebo located just outside the cathedral. Shaw's agents were undercover. Some of them were actual guests, former teammates of Adam's.

A knock at the door, and Kristie turned her thoughts back to what was going on inside the room. Maggie answered the door and immediately curtsied as she backed up to let Prince Anduin Wrynn inside. Kristie curtsied as well, surprised that he had come. "Your Highness! I'm honored that you came."

Anduin stepped forward. He was wearing his formal attire for the wedding and Kristie thought that he was going melt hearts some day with those good looks of his. "Of course I came! How could I miss my own sister's wedding?"

Kristie and Maggie laughed at the joke. But Ileeya looked confused, so Kristie explained. "When Andy," she threw him an amused glance at the use of her nickname for him, "and I were stuck in Tanaris, I told him to pretend to be my brother so that the Horde members who found us wouldn't realize the truth of who he was."

At that moment, Baros, Kirlothenin, and Jelune entered the room. "It's time," Baros said. He stepped up to Kristie and the two regarded each other for a minute. She could see the tears mist in his eyes, though he didn't let them fall. "You sure you want to marry him? You can change your mind, you know. Stay at home, and be my little girl until you're old and gray?"

Kristie knew he wasn't completely serious. "He makes me happy, Daddy."

"Hrumph. I guess in that case, we had better get you out there." He offered his arm and Kristie took it. Ileeya took Kirlothenin's arm, and Maggie took Jelune's. Being the flower girl, Amy was going to walk down the aisle alone. That is, until an idea flashed in Kristie's head.

"Anduin," she said as she saw him begin to head out the door to find his seat. "Would you like to escort Amy down the aisle? Just walk with her to the end and then you can find your seat." Kristie saw Amy's face light up at the idea of walking with the prince.

Prince Anduin looked at Amy with a smile. He bowed gracefully towards her. "My lady, I would be honored." Amy giggled and took his arm.

The music played and Kristie followed everyone out. But as soon as they exited the building and stepped up to the aisle, the only one her eyes were on, was Adam. He had let his brown hair out of its usual ponytail and it framed his face. His light brown eyes locked on hers. She knew he considered her beautiful, but she could tell he was stunned at how she looked in her wedding dress. His mouth formed the word 'wow' and she smiled. Lord Grayson waited with an amused smile next to Adam.

When Kristie reached the end of the aisle, Adam took her hand, a grin beaming on his face and they faced each other. Lord Grayson gave the usual speech about marriage and love. Kristie will probably not recall what he said later. Her focus was on Adam. Time seemed to fast forward because before she knew it, she had said her vows and was kissing her new husband. They were then introduced to the guests as Lord and Lady Boxley.

Everyone cheered and they moved to the cathedral's courtyard where tents were set up for the reception. Dancing, eating, and general merriment ensued. Although Kristie was enjoying spending time with everyone, she was quickly tiring of it. She wanted to be alone with Adam. He picked up on this and suggested to her that they leave.

Kristie agreed and everyone threw flower petals at the couple. Before they left, Kristie tossed her bouquet, aiming for Maggie. "Oh no you don't!" she said as she dodged it. The SI:7 agent laughed as the bouquet landed at Ileeya's feet. Maggie smirked. "Fitting."

Kristie laughed and stole a quick glance at Mathias, whom she suspected had a relationship going with Maggie. The man had an amused grin on his face as he watched Maggie. Adam whispered in Kristie's ear. "Let's say goodbye to Amy and get out of here, Beautiful."

The two approached Amy who was going to stay with Ileeya and Kirlothenin while the couple were on their honeymoon. "We'll be back in a few days, Amy," Adam said. "And remember, obey your Aunt Ileeya and Uncle Kir. And you must make Kir play a game at least twice every day!" He leaned in conspiratorially towards her and whispered just loud enough to be heard by Kirlothenin, "The elf needs to learn how to have fun again!"

The mage smirked at Adam. "I assure you, I know how to have fun."

Ileeya nodded. "He's getting better, but I'm sure someone of Amy's caliber of fun can still teach him a thing or two." The child giggled and Kristie knew her new daughter would be in good hands. The couple left to her parent's home where she quickly changed into clothes more suitable for travel. The two then left on a pair of snowy white gryphons.

**...**

After Adam and Kristie left, Amy went to chat with Elenor, Baros, and Prince Anduin. Ileeya looked down at the bouquet she had picked up, aware of the human traditions. She felt Kirlothenin's hand on her arm and looked into his face.

"I guess this is as good a time as any, Kir, to answer your question to me." Since she had admitted her love for him, she felt herself becoming more and more happy and balanced. She agreed that they should make their family more official. His attention was fully on her, and he looked at her expectantly, a smile on his face. He had to know what her answer was going to be. Ileeya decided not to prolong the moment.

"I want us to be a family in every sense, Kir." She wasn't about to let him think there was any doubt left in her when it came to her love for him. "I love you. I want to make you happy by becoming your wife. And you'll make me happy as well by becoming my husband. Together, our lives will be complete." Kirlothenin kissed her gently, but not without his full passion.

"Let's get married next week," he said. "That should be enough time to prepare. Adam and Kristie, I'm sure, would want to be there."

Ileeya was surprised at how soon he wanted to do this. She thought about all they had gone through since meeting, and how their lives had been transformed. She knew she loved him, and if recent events were any indication of anything, they couldn't know what the future had in store for them. The sooner they began their lives together as a family, the better. But one week? "Make it two. I don't want to feel too rushed to prepare."

Two weeks later, Ileeya stood inside Adam's Elwynn estate near Westridge. It was nestled up against the mountains, and the land borders the river that flows between Westfall and Elwynn Forest. The house and its immediate surroundings were secluded, and private. While Ileeya would have preferred to get married in Moonglade, it had been decided that it would be safer to have it within this private estate. Despite this, Adam, Maggie, and Shaw had decided to bring in a few extra SI:7 agents to roam the grounds to make sure the ceremony was not rudely interrupted.

They had only invited their closest family and friends. Adam, Kristie, Amy, Adorei, Maggie, Shaw, Jelune, Tamlia, Dormir, Firodren, Mehlumis, Broll, Valeera, and Ysuria. Jaina Proudmoore had also been invited, but had been unable to make it. Broll officiated.

It was a modified Druidic wedding. Ileeya wore a forest green dress with some intricate brown embroidery. Her feet remained bare. She wore a wreath of flowers on her head and carried a bouquet. Kirlothenin wore a simple green tunic that matched his eyes. His slacks were a dark tan. His feet were bare as well. Just as in human marriages, the groom was not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony.

Those attending stood in a circle with two openings. Ileeya and Kirlothenin entered from opposite sides. Her heart pounded in her chest as she saw him without his mage robe on. She had to admit the elf was very handsome. He probably knew it, but she didn't care. It wasn't his looks that she was in love with. She kept her eyes locked with his as they met in the middle of the circle where Broll waited.

After each of them said their vows of love and fidelity in front of everyone, Ileeya gave Broll some seeds she had picked out. Then Kir gave him seeds as well. The archdruid gave a short speech in Darnassian, then let the seeds drop to the ground. Quietly saying a spell, vines grew from the seeds and wrapped around the couple, entwining themselves together, thus representing the couple becoming one in spirit, while remaining individuals.

Kirlothenin touched her temple, creating a mind link. He spoke to her telepathically. "_You're beautiful, Ileeya. Not only in the physical sense, but in the spirit as well. I must be the luckiest elf on Azeroth. I hurt you, yet you had mercy on me. You saved me from myself and somehow even fell in love with me. I don't deserve you. But I'm just selfish enough to claim your love and love you back with all my heart. You have my loyalty, my protection, my trust, and my love for as long as I live._"

In that moment, she realized that he had opened an empathic link and she could literally feel his love for her. She didn't know how to respond, but she didn't need to. He could feel her response through their link. Kirlothenin leaned in and kissed her, letting his lips linger on her for a moment longer than necessary. The kiss released the vines, and the ceremony was over.

It took a moment for Ileeya to blink away the mist in her eyes and catch her breath. She was married to the elf who had abducted her, who had changed her life, who had made her become stronger to face the world. A touch on her shoulder reminded her there were guests to visit. She turned to see Kristie and Adorei. "It was a beautiful wedding, Ileeya." The woman handed Adorei to her. "Small, simple, and cozy."

Ileeya took her daughter. "Thank you. I'm glad you could be a part of it."

Adam handed each of them a glass and poured them some moonberry wine. He then held up his glass. "Here's to a bend in the road of our lives. We may not know what the future holds, but I do know this: If we stick together, we'll get through it."

The four raised their glasses to toast.

* * *

><p><strong>The End<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Sometimes in our lives<br>We all have pain  
>We all have sorrow<br>But if we are wise  
>We know that there's always tomorrow<em>

_Lean on me, when you're not strong_  
><em>And I'll be your friend<em>  
><em>I'll help you carry on<em>  
><em>For it won't be long<em>  
><em>'Til I'm gonna need<em>  
><em>Somebody to lean on<em>

_Please swallow your pride_  
><em>If I have things you need to borrow<em>  
><em>For no one can fill those of your needs<em>  
><em>That you won't let show<em>

_You just call on me brother, when you need a hand_  
><em>We all need somebody to lean on<em>  
><em>I just might have a problem that you'd understand<em>  
><em>We all need somebody to lean on<em>

_Lean on me, when you're not strong_  
><em>And I'll be your friend<em>  
><em>I'll help you carry on<em>  
><em>For it won't be long<em>  
><em>'Til I'm gonna need<em>  
><em>Somebody to lean on<em>

_Song: Lean On Me  
>Songwriter: Bill Withers <em>

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note:<br>Thank you everyone for reading this story. I appreciate all of the comments. This should wrap everything up, well, except for the question of whether Jerold was Amy's father or not. I left that ambiguous on purpose and decided to let the readers decide for themselves on that subject. :)  
><em>


End file.
